Under the Mistletoe
by MyEdward797
Summary: Bella and Edward have liked each other for years. Will Alice, with the help of some hospitalized children, be able to get them to admit it? A Christmas Short Story/EXB/AU/AH/
1. Chapter 1

**Summary-Bella and Edward have liked each other for years. Will Alice, with the help of some hospitalized children, be able to get them to admit it? A Christmas Short Story/AU/AH**

**Author's Note-I'm writing this purely for fun, because I had the inspiration and I love Christmas and I love fluff. This is a very fluffy story. :) It should only be four chapters, unless I get other ideas**

**Disclaimer-I don't own Twilight**

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Under the Mistletoe

Chapter One

"Exactly two weeks till Christmas!" Alice declared enthusiastically as she plopped down beside me at our lunch table. The cafeteria was just beginning to fill up with students, and to drone out the noise I had taken out my book and tried slip in a few pages, knowing all too soon I would be interrupted. I groaned at Alice's words and buried my face into my hands. Two weeks until Christmas translated easily enough into 'two weeks of dragging Bella around the mall' in Alice's world.

Alice rolled her eyes. Every year I put up the same fight, and every year I lost. "You're no fun, Bella."

"Take Jasper," I muttered, ignoring her comment. She would know what I meant.

"Silly Bella." She sighed. "You know you're the only one I would ever go Christmas shopping with." She patted my hand and I looked up. She was grinning. "Besides," she added with a wink. "Jasper gets bored."

"_I_ get bored!"

She giggled, and her laugh sounded like tinkling bells. "Yeah, but I can ignore you. Jasper distracts me way too easily." I rolled my eyes. Jasper was Alice's boyfriend. He was also the only person who could divert Alice's attention for any length of time.

"So how about I pick you up after school today?" Alice asked, before I could protest further.

I shook my head even before she finished speaking, a slight smile on my face. Today I actually had a valid excuse to refuse her. "Nope," I told her, my little smirk evolving into a full-blown grin. I was more than relieved to get out of the shopping extravaganza with Alice.

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yep," I said, and took a swig of my lemonade. I felt a twinge of satisfaction when I caught her impatient expression. It wasn't every day that I could get the better of Alice.

"…_So_…?" Alice urged. Then she froze, her eyes wide. Her hand came up as if to stop me. "Wait. Are you going on a date?"

I turned bright red. Of course, she _would_ think that. Alice had been trying to get me to date since middle school. She was sorely disappointed that her best friend still lacked a date, while she had been going out with Jasper for two years. It didn't help that I was a year older than her, in my senior year. In Alice's eyes, there was something wrong about an eighteen year old who had never been kissed.

"Alice!" I hissed. "No way!"

She chuckled again, and sighed. "You know I'm only kidding Bella. The only boy you'd ever say yes to is Edward, and there's not much chance of him asking you out."

I blushed furiously again. "Will you please stop it?!" I heard something crackle, and realized that my hand was clenched tightly around my plastic lemonade bottle. But my anger mingled with disappointment. Alice was right. Edward would never ask me out, because I would never be more than a best friend to him.

"No, I won't. Not until you listen." Alice's face was deadly serious, for once. "Bella, I wish you'd just tell him already. He's too shy to ever admit that he likes you to your face."

"How do you know he likes me?" I mumbled, my eyes on the table. My fingers had moved on from the lemonade bottle to an apple now, and I twisted the stem between my index finger and thumb anxiously.

"I'm his sister," Alice snorted. "I know everything about him…even the things he doesn't tell me."

"In other words," I sighed dejectedly. "He's never said to your face that he likes me. You're just making this up so that I'll be confident enough to tell him that I like him." Although I wasn't sure that 'like' was the right word anymore. I think that, sometime in the fifteen years that I'd known him, I'd fallen hopelessly in love with Edward Cullen.

"You know me way to well, Bella," Alice complained. "I can't get _anything_ past you anymore."

I smiled gratefully, knowing that she had changed the subject on purpose. "Yeah, fifteen years with the inability to shut you up had something to do with it, I think." She swatted my arm playfully. Then another arm wrapped around her waist and she looked away from me, to where Jasper was settling himself next to her.

"Hey, Bella. Has Alice annoyed you to death yet?" The voice that I loved to hear forced my gaze away from the couple.

"Almost." I glanced up as Edward took a seat across from me. He grinned, his green eyes twinkling. He wasn't even looking at Alice. The way he stared at me like that, sometimes I wondered if Alice was right, and Edward really did like me. His eyes burned into mine, and I could do nothing but smile.

Alice cleared her throat. "_So_, Bella, you never told me what you were doing after school today." She glared pointedly at me.

"Relax, Alice," Edward chuckled. "Bella and I are going to the hospital. We're decorating for Christmas today." I nodded happily. Edward and I volunteered at Fork's Hospital and helped out with the sick children. Christmas was a special time there, because it gave us a chance to really brighten them up, with lights and decorations and, of course, presents.

Alice nodded grudgingly. She knew how badly Edward and I were attached to those kids. "Oh, ok. That's alright then." Then she smirked at me. "But Bella, you got _so_ lucky."

I grimaced. "I know." There would be plenty of days in the next two weeks for Alice to drag me shopping. I was getting out of it once, but there was no way I was getting out of it again.

"So, it looks like I'm free today." Alice sighed. Jasper brightened up. He probably hadn't been looking forward to too much of a Friday afternoon. But Alice's next words brought him down again.

"Hey, Bella? Mind if I come with you two? I haven't been with you guys in awhile. I want to see Mandy." Mandy was a shy little nine-year old at the hospital who had recently been in a car accident. Both her parents were killed, and she had no known relatives. She was staying at the hospital until a home was found for her. I was particularly attached to her, and I knew Alice adored her too.

But visiting the hospital was something special that Edward and I did together. It was something we both understood and appreciated. If Alice came, the harmonic bubble that we existed in would be cracked, and I hated missing that time with him.

But Alice's pleading face was hard to resist. I shrugged, smiling half-heartedly. "If you want to," I said reluctantly.

Alice seemed to sense that something was wrong. "Or, if today is bad, I don't have to-"

"No," I interrupted her hurriedly. _Get over yourself Bella_, I told myself firmly. Wasn't Christmas the season of giving? "Of course you can come. Mandy'll love to see you. She keeps asking how you are."

"What'll I do then?" Jasper whined. The hospital didn't approve of too many people – teenagers, no less – being around the sick children all the time. Edward and I were ok, because it was sort of our job. And Alice and Edward's father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, allowed Alice to tag along when she wanted, but Jasper had to stay behind.

Alice giggled and pecked him lightly on the lips. "Don't worry, I wouldn't forget you. I'll bring my car and leave early. We can go to a movie or something." Jasper grinned and kissed her again. I rolled my eyes at Edward, who just laughed.

"So," Edward said when he was done chuckling. "Do you have the list?" I nodded and grabbed my schoolbag. I rummaged through a number of books and binders before finding the one I was looking for. The word 'Christmas' was scrawled across the top of it in my messy handwriting. From it, I pulled out a sheet of paper and placed it on the table between the two of us.

The list included the names of all the kids at the hospital, and across from each name, an item – usually a toy of some kind. It was their Christmas list. Every year we got Edward's older brother, Emmett, to dress up as Santa and give out the gifts we bought for the children. It was my job to pick out the gifts and write up the list, and then Edward and I would go out and buy them.

Edward read through the list, smiling and nodding. When he was done, he looked up at me with a grin. "Perfect, as usual." He told me. I blushed, although I knew that he hadn't meant the praise in the way I wanted.

"Some of the stuff is a little pricey," I said quickly, to cover up my embarrassment. "I'm sorry about that. It's just-"

Edward reached across the table to cover my mouth with his hand. "Oh no," he laughed. "Don't start that. You know I don't mind. I like buying the stuff for them. You _know_ that," he repeated. I shrugged, trying not to breathe on his hand. Edward suddenly seemed to realize that it was there, and pulled away quickly. I wondered if I was the only one to feel the electricity when our skin came in contact. If he felt anything, he didn't show it.

I sighed, trying to ignore the tingling in stomach and the heat on my face. "Yeah, I know." We had had this argument many times in the past. Edward's family had…a lot of money. I couldn't exactly say the same thing when my dad, Charlie, was police chief of our tiny little town of Forks. Edward didn't seem to mind spending money on the children, while I didn't have to pay at all. I minded, though. I just couldn't make him understand that.

We spent the remainder of lunch chatting aimlessly about Christmas, but when lunch was over, the rest of the day passed slowly. I sat in agony through Spanish and stumbled my way through gym, until at last, the final bell rang. I rushed to change out of my gym clothes, praying that I wouldn't trip over my jeans as I tugged them on. When I was able to get past the crowd of girls that poured out of the locker room, I immediately started searching for Edward.

It was always a relief for me, after a long day in school, to be able to see Edward's face. Even as only best friends, he was my other half, the person who understood me without words. He completed me. Not even Alice lived on the same planet as I did. Of course, not many people did anyway, so I didn't blame her. But Edward – Edward was different. He knew why I loved books so much, and shared my appreciation for music. We could lounge around for hours at a time, talking about nothing and everything. He was my soul mate.

When I finally caught sight of Edward standing next to his silver Volvo in the parking lot, my face unconsciously relaxed into a smile. There was a little hop in my step as I reached his side. Today was Friday, Christmas was coming, and I was about to spend all afternoon at one of my favorite places with my favorite person. I was floating, and there wasn't much that could bring me down.

"How was gym?" Edward asked with a teasing grin. He was probably imagining one of the many times I'd tripped over myself or smacked someone in the face with a ball.

I rolled my eyes. "We've already established my status as 'klutz', thank you very much. You don't have to rub it in."

"I wasn't rubbing anything in," he said innocently. I tried to smack him on the arm, but he dodged and my hand came in contact with hood of his car. The metal was slippery from the rain that was drizzling down around us, and my hand slipped. My whole upper body was thrown forward with the impact, and I was certain that my face was about to hit the car when Edward caught me. He was always the one to catch me.

"Ow!"

Edward winced. "Sorry, Bella! That was stupid of me. Here, let me look at it." He was genuinely concerned as he inspected my hand. His eyes were bright with regret.

"It's not your fault. You know that would only happen to me." I sighed. He worried too much. "So, what's the verdict, Doc?" I asked him, trying to lighten the mood. "Will I live?"

He smiled. "I think you may have a chance." He squeezed my hand gently and his gaze softened. "I really am sorry, Bella."

"I told you, it's not your fault. That stuff really only does happen to me."

"Yeah, I know." He chuckled and sighed. "My little danger magnet." He watched me affectionately, and I turned away before he could see my blush.

"Yeah, whatever," I muttered, remembering a second too late that I wasn't supposed to like it when he teased me about my clumsiness. I forgot to think when he looked at me like that.

"So where's Alice?" I asked as I slid into the passenger seat of his car.

"She's driving herself, remember?" Edward responded. He turned the car on and slid easily out of the parking space. There was a line to leave the lot, so he started flicking through his cd collection while we waited. "Something Christmas?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said with a smile. "Here, let me look." I grabbed the pile of cases from him and scrutinized each of them slowly and carefully. It always annoyed him when I took forever to pick out music. That would get him back for my little incident from earlier.

"Bella," he groaned when he realized what I was doing. I just kept looking, a tight grin on my face.

Finally, I decided to take pity on him. I picked one out and slid it in. A second later we were both singing along loudly and out of key to 'Feliz Navidad'. The singing quickly became giggling on my part, and then outright laughing. I didn't stop until Edward threatened to gag me because he was driving and couldn't concentrate. I blamed it on his speeding, which brought on a whole new round of giggles.

"Are you done?" Edward asked as we reached the hospital. He was shaking his head in mock despair. "I don't think the nurses would appreciate it if I brought you in there like this."

I shrugged. "Yeah, but I bet the kids would love it!" I said with a grin.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Come on, you." He got out of the car and came around to my side. He pulled me out and started leading me towards the entrance.

"Alright, alright, I can walk!" I protested and yanked away from him. I hadn't realized that he was going to let me go so easily, so I fell backwards, almost hitting the pavement. What stopped me was, of course, Edward. He grabbed my hand and helped me upright.

"Are you sure?" he murmured. I looked up, intending to make a sarcastic remark, but his face was much closer than I'd thought it was, and I completely forgot what I'd been going to say.

"Maybe not," I managed to croak, staring into his green eyes.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Alice's voice broke through the spell as she shouted to us. Edward jumped back guiltily and I disentangled myself from him. I could feel the heat on my cheeks as Alice arrived at our sides.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked curiously, her gaze flickering between the two of us.

"Nope," Edward muttered tightly, his hands finding the pockets of his jacket. Alice seemed to debate whether to tease us about it or not, before finally shrugging.

"Alrighty, what are we waiting for then? Time to spread some Christmas spirit!" Grinning, she grabbed me by the hand and Edward by the sleeve of his jacket, and tugged us to the main entrance of the hospital. She walked in like she owned the place, flashing smiles at the receptionist and a group of nurses who looked like they were on a coffee break.

I took a quick glance around the familiar lobby as we entered, and noticed with delight the green and red ribbon that lined the front desk, and the little Christmas tree that had been erected in the waiting room. It was sprinkled in golden tinsel, a few ornaments, and that fake white fluff that was supposed to look like snow. Silver snowflakes danced from the ceiling, and garland encircled the stairwell's banister.

"Beautiful," I proclaimed softly.

"I'll tell them you approve." Edward smirked. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"When you two decide to act mature again…" Alice hinted, shoving past us.

"Look who's talking," Edward spoke to her back.

I giggled, but quieted when I saw Carlisle approaching. "Hello, you three." He smiled warmly at us, and I couldn't help smiling back. Carlisle was too much like his son. He could get that response out of anyone.

"Hi, Carlisle," I said. I had given up trying to use his surname a long time ago, and now I was quite comfortable just calling him Carlisle. My greeting mingled with Edward's nod and 'Dad', while Alice danced right up to him and hugged him. With an affectionate smile, he returned the embrace and winked at us over her head.

"Everyone's waiting for you," Carlisle told us as he let Alice go. "You're all they've been talking about all day." He chuckled. "You have certainly proved a useful bribe." I laughed, picturing the nurses' poker faces as they forced medicine and other treatments into the kids, promising them all some quality time with Edward and Bella if they behaved.

"All the boxes are upstairs," Carlisle continued, referring to the boxes containing the Christmas decorations. "And a few of the nurses and I put the tree up. It's all ready for you."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, realizing I had forgotten something. "Edward, I left those bags with all the new decorations in your car." Last year I had noticed how poorly up to date the hospital was with Christmas stuff, and so this year I had made a special trip to Seattle to buy some fun, new decorations that I knew the kids would love.

"I'll go get them," Edward offered. "You and Alice head on up, I'll be right there." He headed back out into the rain, pulling his hood up before leaving the building. Looking out, I saw that the drizzle had begun to pick up in the last five minutes or so.

"I hope it snows in time for Christmas." I heard Alice sigh.

I turned to smile at her. "This is Forks in December that you're talking about. I have no doubt we'll be getting snow soon. Now let's go." Linking arms, we said goodbye to Carlisle and headed up the staircase, climbing two floors to arrive at the Children's Level. We passed through the halls quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone. I watched my feet carefully. I really didn't need to trip over any of the machinery in the hallways. It had happened before, and the irony of getting hurt in a hospital did not escape me.

We reached the room that served as a playroom, of sorts, for the kids. Long-term patients were allowed to come here, as long as their illnesses didn't prove a threat to other children. Most of them would be home for Christmas, but they would all be here for Christmas Eve, which was the night we were throwing our little party.

"Brace yourself," Alice teased and opened the door. Our arms were still connected, and Alice swept us into the room dramatically.

The space was about the size of a large classroom, but was made to look much smaller with kids running haphazardly all over the place. Carlisle had been right – they were all really excited for this. No one was even watching the television in the corner, and that was usually the main attraction. There was also a neglected bin of toys and a bookshelf beside the cable box. Besides these, the rest of the space was free – and boring. The walls were painted a drab off white, and there were no variations in color throughout the entire room.

Alice groaned at the sight, the way she always did when she entered this room. "I don't know how anyone stands this horrid room! What color _is_ that wall! It's infuriating! Quick, Bella, pull out those decorations before I'm sick."

I laughed. "Get over yourself, Alice."

As promised, a Christmas tree had been put up over by the window and this was where most of the kids were. They looked up as we approached.

"Alice!" someone cried, and a little boy leapt up and scrambled over to wrap his arms around my friend. He was wearing a baseball cap that concealed his bald scalp, but he was all smiles as he beamed up at Alice, who knelt down beside him to return the hug.

"Hiya, Tyler. Ready for Christmas?"

"You bet!" The seven-year old cried. "I have my list for Santa and _everything_. And Daddy's gonna help my send it! Are you gonna help put the ornaments on the tree Alice? Oh, hi Bella! Where's Edward?"

Alice laughed. "Slow down there, monster."

I smiled and let Alice handle that one, glancing around for Mandy. I found her a little ways away from the others, leaning against the wall with a book in her hands. She had her finger on her page, and was watching Alice and Tyler with an unfathomable expression in her eyes. It was the expression that I could never completely figure out. One minute she would be smiling, and the next she would be staring into space, deep in thought. Edward said that I was the same way. Except that I hadn't been through what Mandy had suffered.

I winced as my eyes landed on the cast on her leg. She also had gauze and a bandage on her forehead from a deep gash, and I knew that her chest was wrapped up from where she had two cracked ribs. After two weeks here, she had recently graduated from the wheelchair to crutches, which were leaning against the wall beside her.

After smiling, hugging and greeting a few other children, I reached Mandy and sat beside her cautiously, unsure of what mood she would be in today. "So, do you want to help us decorate?" I asked.

Mandy turned to look at me and smiled slowly. "I'd like that," she said softly, and pushed a strand of chestnut hair back behind her ears.

I smiled back. "Me too. You can be the one to put the star on the top of the tree, ok?"

Wrong thing to say. Mandy froze, her hand clutching her book.

I winced. "Never mind. Edward can do it."

"Where is he?" Mandy asked, looking grateful to find a change of topic.

"He'll be here in few minutes. He's getting some stuff. Lights and ornaments and-"

"Mistletoe?" Mandy interrupted.

I shrugged. "No, no mistletoe. Why? Do you want there to be some? I'm sure I can go and buy some somewhere," I said quickly, eager to please her.

Mandy frowned. "No. Well, maybe. Alice said that there was supposed to be mistletoe, because-" She broke off abruptly, and blushed, turning back to her book.

I raised an eyebrow. "Because why? What did Alice say?"

Mandy contemplated, and then seemed to make up her mind. "Alice said that there was supposed to be mistletoe, so that you and Edward would kiss on Christmas Eve," she said in a rush. She studied my face for my reaction as she finished.

And of course, I blushed, red as a tomato. "Alice said this?" I choked.

Mandy looked sheepish, and she rocked back and forth. "Well, I said that I wanted you to kiss, and Alice said that you might on Christmas Eve, if there was mistletoe."

I closed my eyes, swallowing my embarrassment and anger. I wasn't mad at Mandy, I was mad at Alice, I told myself firmly. One pixie-sized, supposed friend of mine had better watch her neck.

Sighing, I smiled gently at Mandy. "Sweetie, I don't think that Edward and I are-"

"Are what?"

I froze. Turning slowly, I forced myself to meet his eyes. "Hey, Edward," I gulped.

He inspected my expression, probably trying to figure out what was wrong. "Um…hey. So, what don't you think we're going to do?"

I scrambled for an excuse, although I hated lying in front of Mandy. Darn that Alice. "I don't think we'll finish decorating today, that's all. There's so much stuff…" I trailed off.

He frowned playfully. "Oh, really? Well, I guess we'll just have to prove her wrong then, won't we Mandy?"

Mandy's face broke into a genuinely happy grin, so contrary to her typical lost little gaze, the one that broke my heart. So far, Edward was the only one who could really get her to open up. I could sympathize completely.

"Do you have the stuff?" I asked Edward as I hopped to my feet and helped Mandy up. I took the crutches and helped her get them under her scrawny arms. The poor girl looked like a skeleton.

Edward nodded. "Over there, with the other boxes."

"Ok," I said, excited now. This was always my favorite part about Christmas. "Let's get started. Edward, get the kids organized, give them all jobs. I'll get the decorations out. Alice can help…" And so it went.

……….

Thirty minutes later, Edward and I found ourselves wrapped inside a mass of multi-colored light bulbs, staring at each other, perplexed. Some of the kids waited patiently for us to be ready to hang the lights across the windows.

"Remind me _never_ to let Emmett put light bulbs away again," Edward growled. Apparently, his older brother had been in charge of Christmas clean up duty the year before and…well, here was the result.

"Will do," I sighed, gazing hopelessly at the bunches of wire and bulbs in my hand. Alice flitted by, laughing. I glared.

"Care to lend a hand?" I asked in frustration.

Alice shrugged. "Sorry, Bella, I already have a job. Besides, you two could use some quality bonding time." She winked and giggled. With a shove, she sent me tripping over the wire and into Edward's arms.

That girl couldn't be serious.

And in the corner, I could see Mandy smiling knowingly at us. For once her thoughts were written, plain as day, across her face. _Mistletoe…_

………_._

One hour later, the lights were finally up and running, and I was working on my next project – untangling ribbon. Personally, I was ready to take anything after the light bulbs.

Tyler, Alice, and another girl named Emily came up to me, covered in glue, glitter and paper. In their hands were dozens of sparkly paper snowflakes. I laughed above the Christmas music Edward had put on. "Perfect! Come here, we'll hang 'em up." I stood on a folding chair in the center of the room and reached for one of the snowflakes, taping it to the ceiling. "Alice," I said, a mischievous twinkle in my eye, "I would have you do this, but you're just too short."

She glared. "And I would pretend to hit you, but chances are the air rushing by you would make you trip and fall. Then where would Edward get his Christmas kiss?" That almost _did_ make me trip and fall.

The next five minutes were occupied with a showdown between me and Alice as I chased her around the room with a glue bottle in my hands. Tyler, Emily and everyone else cheered us on, laughing.

When things quieted down and the snowflakes were finally on the ceiling (courtesy of Edward), we moved on to the Christmas tree. Things were relatively calm for awhile (as calm as they ever could be when you put Alice and a bunch of little kids together in a room at Christmas time), until I realized Mandy was missing. I exchanged a worried glance with Edward and we searched the room frantically before finding her in tears just outside in the hall.

"What's the matter sweetheart?" I asked gently, placing a comforting hand on her arm. She sniffled and wiped her face, trying to compose herself for us.

Then she surprised us by asking, "Can I put the star on the tree, Bella?" She directed the question at me but she was looking at Edward, her expression as unreadable as ever.

"Of course you can," he assured her, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her ever so gently back into the room, his expression tender. I think by that point I was very close to tears.

So Mandy, riding Edward's shoulders, managed to touch the star to the top of the tree, biting her lip in concentration as she nudged it as far as she could get it. But her little arms just couldn't reach, and my heart broke all over again for her. Edward offered to help her twice, but she shook her head stubbornly each time. "I got this," she murmured. She was right, and finally the star rested proudly on the tip of the tree – almost as proudly as Mandy's face shone as Edward set her down. Later, when we drove home, he just shook his head and swore that she was a miniature replica of me.

It was three hours before the room was finally ready for Christmas. All the scraps were cleaned up and Edward, me, and all the children inspected our finished product.

The tree looked wonderful, wrapped in silver tinsel and bright red ribbon. Ornaments featuring various versions of Santa Claus, Rudolph, candy canes, and other Christmas oriented treasures hung from every available branch. Alice had left to be with Jasper, but her handiwork shone through in the arrangements of Christmas music boxes and trinkets that cluttered shelves and tables. And then, on the windows and ceiling were the snowflakes and other paper creations made by the kids. Also draping from the windows were the multi-colored lights that Edward and I had spent an interesting thirty minutes untangling.

It was all truly, utterly magical, and Edward and I just looked at each other and grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note-I wrote this wearing Snoopy Christmas pjs and reindeer fuzzy socks. Lol. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer-I don't own Twilight**

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Under the Mistletoe

Chapter Two

I awoke to a shrill ringing hammering at my ear. Groggily, I searched blindly with my hand for the alarm clock so that I could give my eardrums some peace. I found the little box and flipped the switch, which should have brought the noise to a halt.

It didn't.

Too exhausted to think clearly, I groaned and rolled over, pressing the heavy comforter to my ear. Maybe I was dreaming, and the sound would go away if I ignored it.

No such luck.

"Go away," I moaned at the noise. What _was_ the infuriating thing?

Then my eyes snapped open. Oh. Well. That made sense. I threw the covers off of me and sat up unwillingly, blinking sleep out of my eyes. The ringing had stopped, but I knew it would start up again any second. Alice was just going to keep calling until I picked up.

It was hard to get used to a cell phone after I had lived without one for eighteen years of my life. Charlie finally caved and, at Alice's insistent urging, had bought me one for my birthday. I didn't think I really needed it, but Alice claimed that, with my reputation as a danger magnet, it was sure to come in handy. Of course Edward agreed wholeheartedly with that one.

It wasn't in my best interest to argue with one Cullen, never mind two. Especially when one of the two was Edward. He could get me to do anything, and he knew it.

Sure enough, the ringing picked up once more a moment later, just as I was dragging myself across the bedroom to my dresser. I sighed and veered off to my desk. I kept the phone tucked safely in a case in the very center of the wooden top, where there was no chance that I might cause its destruction.

Ha. No chance. Knowing me, I'd find out a way. The poor thing didn't have a hope. I was surprised it had lasted this long.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I grumbled, fumbling sleepily with the snap on the case and then flicking open the phone itself.

"What?" I said icily into the speaker, making sure that my displeasure was clear.

"Get up, get up, get up!" Alice exclaimed, earning another of my groans.

"Really, Alice, it's," I glanced swiftly at the clock, "only eight o' clock. There's a _reason_ I like to sleep in on Saturdays."

"Not today," Alice declared firmly, in a tone that was impossible to argue with. "You're coming shopping Bella, whether you like it or not, so you might as well stop complaining. It's the early bird that catches the sales, you know!"

I rolled my eyes, forgetting she wouldn't see.

"Oh please, Bella, I can practically hear you rolling your eyes at me," Alice laughed when I didn't answer. "I'll be over in ten minutes, be ready." She hung up.

"Wait-" But it was too late. I slammed the phone down onto my desk. "Stupid, obsessive teenage girls!" I growled. How did Edward stand her?

Sighing, I looked through my clothes, deciding that if Alice was going to drag me to the mall, she could at least deal with my less than adept fashion sense. I pulled out a plain red blouse and jeans, then topped it off with a charm bracelet featuring a Christmas tree, a candy cane, a snowflake, and a snow man. There. Simple and sweet.

Alice would hate it.

A horn beeped outside and I ran to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and washing my face in a rush. Alice wasn't exactly known for her patience. One look at my hair and I decided that it was impossible. It would look perfectly nice in a pony tail. Then I was flying down the stairs, which was probably a stupid idea, but it was always better not to keep Alice waiting.

I grabbed my purse, my jacket and a granola bar, foregoing the cereal option in an attempt to keep on Alice's good side. I shut the door tightly behind me and locked it. Charlie was probably up at La Push, and he wouldn't be back all day. Sighing, I glared at the icy water droplets that were splattering my face, and pulled my hood up. Squishing down the driveway, I waved to Alice good-naturedly to show her that I was going to behave. I got to her yellow Porsche unharmed, which was always a nice accomplishment, and slid in.

She was gazing longingly out at the rain.

"What?" I asked.

She shrugged, and started backing out of the driveway. "I just really wish it would snow."

"For Christmas," I offered hopefully, immediately starting to muse through her Cd collection.

Alice sighed. "Maybe." I could feel her watching me as I shifted through her music.

"So, what are you going to get Edward for Christmas?" she asked.

"Um…" I was only half paying attention. "Probably a Cd, or something."

"You _always_ get him a Cd, Bella! He's got to own every Cd on the planet." Well, his enormous music collection_ was_ pretty impressive.

"Get him something new," Alice continued. "Something he won't expect."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know…" She eyed me slyly. "Mistletoe."

I blanched. "That reminds me, Alice Cullen! _You_ told Mandy that Edward and I would kiss! _You_ put that whole mistletoe thing into her head! But _I'm_ the one who's gonna break her heart on Christmas Eve when we don't kiss!" I was fuming.

Alice was unperturbed by my outburst. "Who says you won't kiss?"

"_I do_. And Edward would say the same thing!"

"You don't know that," Alice told me confidently. "In fact, you don't know my brother at all, if that's what you think."

I threw my hands up in frustration. "You're impossible! Of course I know him. We were in diapers together."

"Which is exactly the reason why you two belong together," Alice said with a grin. "I just have to get you to admit it."

"_You_ do?"

"Yep."

My eyes widened as I realized what this was turning into. Alice saw it as her own, personal little challenge to get Edward and me together. "Don't you _dare_ start playing matchmaker, Alice," I warned in a low voice, "or so help me, I _swear_, I'll never come shopping with you again!"

"Ooo, scary," Alice said, her eyes laughing at me.

"_Alice_." I wasn't above begging. "Please, _please_ don't get involved. Please." I stared at her pleadingly, knowing full well that, if she had made up her mind, then nothing I said would get her to change it.

"I'm not getting _involved_, exactly. I'm just encouraging what was going to happen anyway." Alice insisted.

"Ugh!" I threw myself back onto the leather seat and crossed my arms.

It was silent for a few moments, and I stared out my window. Reflected in the glass I could see my frowning face, my eyebrows scrunched together in frustration. My features became unfocused as I peered out at the green forest. I realized we were out of Forks.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Seattle," Alice answered. A few minutes later she asked, "Are you in a good mood now?"

I sighed and turned to face her. "It depends. Are you going to behave now?"

She grinned. "It depends."

I rolled my eyes, and started leafing through the Christmas Cds again. I popped one in. 'Winter Wonderland' came on.

Alice groaned and tried to change it, but I caught her hand. "No way, I love this song!"

"You and Edward," Alice muttered. I grinned.

When we finally reached Seattle, we'd sung through two Christmas albums and were putting in a third. Alice pulled into the oversized mall parking lot eagerly, and I sighed. Let the torture begin.

She caught the look on my face. "Be good, Bella," she said, parking as close as she could to the mall. She got out, and I followed, albeit grudgingly.

"Where to first?" I asked reluctantly, as she pulled me into the building. Immediately, the sheer mass of the place hit me – the size, the noise, the amount of people. Despite my vexation with anything cold and wet, I was a Fork's girl at heart. I wasn't used to all the crowds and the noise, and it made me claustrophobic. One more reason why I tried to avoid these outings.

"Hmm…choices, choices." Alice grinned. She was on her shopping high. "How about I'll be nice, and we can do Edward first." She looked pleased with herself. She was probably still trying to get on my good side.

I grimaced. "I could spend hours just trying to decide what to give him. Although there _is_ always the Cd option." Alice glared at me.

"Alright, no Cd."

"Better."

"Then what _can_ I get him?" I asked hopelessly. "He has everything already. Alice?"

Alice danced along ahead of me. "You wouldn't like any of my suggestions." She looked back at me and winked. I groaned.

Catching up to her, I gave in. "I'm open to anything within reason," I told her.

"Whose reason?"

I crossed my arms. "Mine."

Alice sighed. "You really aren't any fun, you know that?"

I smiled. "I know."

"And Edward likes you like that," she hinted.

I sighed. "Come on Alice, time to shop."

She grinned. "Works for me."

As we made our way through the mall, it was impossible to deny that Christmas was on its way. Red and green advertisements hung from the ceiling and on the walls. Every store had a Christmas theme, with scarved and jacketed manequins in the midst of a wintry wonderland, surrounded by Christmas trees and presents. Above the busy racket of hundreds of people that swarmed the stores, I could make out Christmas music resounding from every corner. I found myself humming along more than once.

When we past Santa's Workshop, a 'snow' covered platform with decorated Christmas trees and a huge blown-up candy cane archway, there was a long line of children with their parents. All of them awaited eagerly the brief moment when they would be able to sit in Santa's lap and whisper in his ear their secret desire.

"I wish the kids at the hospital could see this," I said longingly, as we passed the grand set up. "They would love it." I could picture all their little faces, quivering with pent up excitement as they waited their own turn in line. If anyone deserved this happiness, it was them.

"They get Emmett," Alice said with a smile, although the look in her eyes told me she understood exactly what I meant.

I chuckled. "That's true. Emmett does pass as a pretty good Santa."

..........

We ended up skipping Edward. I knew that I would want to have an uninterrupted period of time to search for something for him, so we would get the rest of the shopping done first.

Esme and Carlisle were easy. I bought Esme a dessert cookbook – she was going through a cooking phase. And Carlisle I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble. He would know what he wanted better than I did. Emmett, who was coming home from college in one week, and Jasper, would love the video games I got them. Something with a lot of action. I didn't look too closely. Even at nineteen and seventeen, they were both still video game addicts. I didn't pretend to understand it.

Charlie was tough. Eventually, I settled on a new watch. His was getting old anyway.

After that, I inspected my sorely dented money supply anxiously. "I still have Edward, Jasper and Rosalie." Rosalie was Jasper's older sister, and Emmett's girlfriend. They were away at college together.

Alice, swinging half a dozen bags at her side, rolled her eyes. "You know I don't have a problem lending you money, Bella."

"Yeah, but _I_ have a problem with it. It isn't right."

"So pay me back," Alice said distractedly, eyeing a map as she searched for Target. I was surprised she didn't have the place memorized.

"It's right there," I sighed, pointing.

"Thanks." And she yanked me off again.

I ended up buying Rosalie a jeweled snowflake on a silver chain and, when Alice wasn't looking, I bought her a charm bracelet that looked like mine. I was almost broke.

And still I couldn't find anything for Edward.

"I'm sure you'll find _something_, Bella," Alice assured me as she led us to our next destination, a jewelry store. She wanted to get something nice for her mother. "You can't search the entire mall and not find anything that he would like."

I wasn't one to often prove Alice wrong, but it looked like she might just be, this time.

"Have we really been through the entire mall?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alice laughed. "No, silly." She paused. "Almost though."

I shook my head. "You're really something else, Alice."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Inside the jewelry store, I wandered away from Alice. It looked like she was going towards a couple pairs of earrings that were the type that I tried to stay away from – the ones with price tags that I would gag at. I shuddered thinking about spending that kind of money, but I knew Alice and rest of the Cullens did so all the time, without a second thought.

I found another case that was tucked farther back into the store – a glance at the prices told me why. This was more like it. I could handle admiring these.

At first, I looked aimlessly through the different earrings, bracelets and charms, but then my eyes landed on one particular necklace. It was a plain golden chain, and I followed the simple pattern with my eyes, until it led me to a tiny dove, identical in its simplicity. I drew my finger over the glass case, admiring it from a distance.

"Ready?" Alice came up behind me, an additional bag in her arms.

"Want me to take some of those?" I asked her.

"What are you looking at?" Alice asked curiously, ignoring me. She peered into the case. I tapped the glass above the dove.

"That plain old thing?" Alice asked skeptically. "You know, there are much prettier ones over there. You should look."

"No, I like that one," I said quietly. I didn't bother looking where she pointed. Mine and Alice's tastes were a bit…different.

Alice sighed. "I wish I had gotten to you before Edward. Then maybe your fashion sense would be better."

"And maybe it wouldn't be any different," I muttered stubbornly. I gazed at the pretty necklace longingly.

Alice interrupted my admiring. "Come on, I still haven't got anything for Emmett, and you don't have anything for Edward." She eyed me. "And we've got to do something about your wardrobe."

I gaped at her. "Alice, we're _Christmas_ shopping. Please no clothes."

"Bella, you have forced me to stare at that infernal outfit _all day_."

"Yeah, because I volunteered for this." I said sarcastically.

"Please Bella?" Alice whined.

"Christmas," I reminded her.

"We're almost done," she pointed out. I couldn't believe we were having this conversation.

"No. I mean that." She wasn't budging me on this one. I was way too much of a pushover as it was.

"Fine. But right after Christmas-"

"Fine," I interrupted quickly, pulling her away from the jewelry and out of the store.

Alice found her present for Emmett. It was six o' clock and we were eating in the food court, but I still hadn't found anything for Edward.

"What am I going to do, Alice?" I said, completely worn out. I was playing with my spaghetti, twirling it around on my fork. I swore I had blisters on my feet from walking all day.

"You still have two weeks," Alice reminded me. It was a small comfort.

I sighed and watched her finish her food. "Let's go home, Alice," I said quietly when she was done.

"Aren't you going to eat?" She glanced at my full plate.

"Not hungry. Let's just go."

"Alright," she said doubtfully. "But Edward won't like it if I tell him I didn't feed you."

My heart flopped a little, knowing that Edward cared. But I really just wanted to get out of here. I grabbed the fork and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

"There. I ate. Let's go." I picked up my bags and stood up. Alice still didn't look sure, but she reluctantly obliged, getting her own bags and following me out of the food court.

Ten minutes later, we were in Alice's car, the heat cranked and the Christmas music blaring again. Much happier now, I was able to think more clearly.

"Alice, if I can't find Edward anything, I really might have to just get him-"

"Don't you dare say 'Cd'. Anything but that." Alice gritted her teeth.

"Then you give me some ideas."

"I already told you my ideas. You don't like them."

"I mean _reasonable_ ideas. That don't involve-"

"Mistletoe!" Alice grinned.

"Exactly," I said through clenched teeth. But she wouldn't give in.

When we reached my house, the warm bed in my room seemed more inviting than ever. A light was on in the living room, and I pictured Charlie sitting up for me, reading a newspaper or watching television.

"Bye Alice," I sighed.

"Did you have fun?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Sure," I muttered sarcastically, getting my bags from the back.

"See you on Monday," I called as went inside. I was about to shut the door when I heard Alice shout something. I wasn't sure I heard correctly, so I called back.

"What?!"

"Bye Bella! Dream of mistletoe!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer-I don't own Twilight.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Under the Mistletoe

Chapter Three

Edward's POV

My Saturday was spread wide open before me, empty. Most teenagers would rejoice at the uninterrupted period of time to do whatever they wanted, but I was hopelessly lonely. It was sort of pathetic. With Bella suffering her Alice torture, I was by myself in my room, at a loss for what I could do to productively occupy my time. It seemed that I truly couldn't live without Bella. We did everything together and it didn't feel right when I didn't have her by my side.

I sighed longingly, humming absently along with the song emanating from my stereo system. I was sprawled on my bed, my hands hooked around my head as I rested against the pillows. I inhaled slowly. Bella's scent clung to the bed from the last time she had slept over. I still hadn't washed my comforter, wanting it to linger.

A smile tugged at my lips as I imagined Bella's nighttime visits. Technically, she was having girl time with Alice, but we all knew better. Well, except Charlie of course, and no one was planning on telling him anytime soon. He would be suspicious immediately, and nothing we could say would get him to believe otherwise. But Bella and I knew it wasn't like that, not at all. It was just something we did. Two best friends, who needed each other enough to slip some alone time in whenever we could. I wasn't complaining. The feeling of her warm body against mine as we slept was truly heavenly.

It could be so much more than that, though. I watched Alice and Jasper every day, kissing and staring into each other's eyes, lost in their own little world. I knew what Rosalie and Emmett were like too, although they were a bit more…enthusiastic in their relationship. Either way, it was love – something that Bella and I didn't have. Something I wished we did have.

Despite Alice's reassurances that Bella was absolutely and unconditionally in love with me, I wasn't certain if we were ready for that. And I worried; would it destroy our friendship, if things ended…badly? I didn't think I could stand not having Bella, albeit nothing more than a friend. It was enough to just have her near me – almost. But I longed to stroke my hands through her hair, caress her cheek, allow my eyes to confess every bit of my love for her. And kiss her. Oh, how I yearned to kiss those sweet, full, luscious lips.

It was killing me. Eating me up inside. My every cell ached towards Bella when she was near me, and I hated that I couldn't just take her in my arms and kiss her for all she was worth. I was so tired of shielding myself, guarding my love behind a barrier of false smiles and empty words.

I tried hard to concentrate on the parts of Bella that I did have. Her unyielding friendship and loyalty. The kinship I had with her was like nothing I had with anyone else. Even my family didn't really know me, watching as I hid myself behind books and music, but Bella truly understood me. We were one soul in two different bodies.

I groaned and rolled over on my stomach. Daydreaming about Bella would get me nowhere. But it was the only thing I had if I couldn't actually have _her_. Alice would tell me that I was a coward, and she was right. I was afraid. I was desperately afraid of losing my Bella.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair. I had to get up and go do something. I rolled off the bed and grabbed the sneakers that had been thrown down beside the night stand yesterday. I laced them quickly and slipped my jacket on before making my way downstairs.

My mom watched me as I passed through the living room. She was lounging on the couch, a home magazine in her lap.

"No Bella today?" she asked. Usually I left the house early in the morning, so that Bella and I could gain the greatest possible amount of time together. I glanced over at the elegant grandfather clock in the corner. My dad had a thing for old antiques. It was already eleven o' clock. I had wasted a whole morning pining after Bella.

"No," I sighed. "I'm going to the hospital," I told her as I opened the door.

"How's Mandy?" I heard her ask before I could leave. I closed the door again and went to her side.

"Not great." I grimaced. "She was crying last night. Bella and I found her alone in the hallway." I frowned. "Then she wanted to put the star on the tree. We let her, of course, but it was odd because Bella said that she offered to let Mandy do it before, and she got all tense. You know." My mother nodded in understanding. Whenever anyone mentioned something to Mandy that she didn't like, her face would turn white and she would freeze up. She would never tell us why, and we could only guess that certain things probably reminded her of her parents.

"Poor girl," my mom said sadly, fingering the edge of her magazine.

"I'm going to see her right now," I informed her, getting up from my spot beside her. She smiled without saying a word. She might have told Alice or Emmett to be gentle with Mandy, but she knew that I was well aware of how to treat the little girl.

Returning the smile with a crooked one of my own, I left the house.

……….

The drive to the hospital was a lonely one without Bella to keep me company, with her laughter and understanding words. Even when we weren't talking, our silences said everything. I missed all of it. Rarely a day went by when I didn't see Bella at all. She hadn't even come over that morning. Alice had gone to pick her up instead, foreseeing a rather long goodbye between the two if us if we were allowed to see each other.

In an effort to get a chance to be with my Bella, I had even offered to come along with them, despite my all around distaste for Alice's shopping expeditions, but I had been vehemently refused.

"It's a girl thing Edward." Alice had rolled her eyes at me. I didn't try to argue with her, knowing I would lose, even though I was pretty sure that Bella would have loved for me to tag along.

When I got to the hospital it started to rain, though that was no surprise. I pulled my hood up and made a dash for the hospital building. Inside, I admired the decorations, although I'd seen them the afternoon before. I remembered how Bella's face had lit up when she caught sight of the Christmas theme. How her eyes glowed and her cheeks were flushed as she gripped my hand tightly, without realizing she was doing it. How she blushed when she realized our hands were joined, and pulled away quickly. I adored her easy blushes.

I waved a quick hello to the receptionist and she smiled in return. She was young, probably just a little older than I was, and she batted her eyelashes a little as I passed her. Something triggered in my brain and I barely realized she was flirting with me before I was taking the stairs two at a time. I didn't let it bother me. I had eyes for only one girl in my life, and that was Bella.

I could hear singing floating down the hall when I reached the Children's Level. I followed it down the corridor, recognizing Bing Crosby's White Christmas. I smiled a little. It was one of Bella's favorites.

I found the origin of the song in the playroom, coming from the little red boom box sitting on a shelf. The television was on, and a group of smaller children were huddled around it, watching Sesame Street. I didn't know they even aired that show anymore.

My gaze swept the room until I found what I was looking for. The Christmas tree was in the opposite corner, and two big sofas had been situated around it. I saw Mandy, sitting in the corner of the one closest to the window. Her broken leg stuck straight out on the couch and she sat tall, so as not to hurt her ribs. She was staring at the tree, and my heart clenched when I saw the look on her face. It was her signature gaze, the one that made us all wonder if she was really with us, or if a part of her was living another life somewhere far away.

"Hey Mandy," I said softly as I approached her. I didn't settle myself beside her until I was sure that she knew I was there.

"Edward?" She looked up slowly, and her face spread into a smile when she saw that it was, indeed, me. I flashed a lopsided grin at her, enthralled as I always was that I was the one that she would open up to.

"Did you have fun last night?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation light. I wanted to ask her what she had been thinking about a moment before I'd arrived, but knew that it was a bad idea. Soon after the accident, at my father's urging, I had tried it, and the result had been less than satisfying. I recalled Mandy's frozen little form, a moment before the hysteric sobs had started up. An hour later saw her wrapped up in Bella's arms on the hospital bed, still crying. The scariest part had been that she didn't shed one tear. Just one hour of dry, racking, heartbroken sobs. Afterwards, as we drove home, my poor Bella broke down and cried into my shoulder, weeping for the sweet nine-year old who didn't deserve any of what she was suffering. I never wanted to have to see her crying or Bella's again for as long as I lived.

"Yeah." Mandy quietly answered my question. "It's nice that you do that. For the kids, I mean." She frowned. She sounded so grown-up. Weary. Like she had seen too much of the world. My heart cracked. She spoke like she didn't consider herself one of 'the kids' at all.

I patted her leg. "I'm glad you got to be there," I told her. This was the one thing even I could never do – make her understand that we were there for her, and we weren't going to leave her. She could count on us.

But part of me doubted that she felt able to count on anyone right now, even herself. She had just lost her parents, after all.

It was quiet for a moment. Then, Mandy seemed to wake up in this world a little more. The far away look was almost gone, and she seemed genuinely pleased to see me there. She looked a little younger. A little more innocent. I was glad to see her opening up just a bit.

"What do you want for Christmas?" I asked in interest, trying to distract her from whatever woes she was suffering. I picked Christmas at random, but I was pretty sure it would work. All kids loved Christmas.

But Mandy frowned. "I don't know," she said wearily. I bit my lip to keep down the frustration. But then I remembered that the only thing that she could possibly want would never come back to her. I wanted to slap myself for being so stupid.

Mandy's expression became shy, and she looked down at her cast. "Well…there is one thing," she said slowly.

"What?" I asked eagerly. Whatever it was, I would make sure she would have it come Christmas morning.

I watched curiously as her cheeks turned red. Ah, how like Bella she was. Her shy little smile, her blushing, the quiet confidence that radiated from her, despite everything she had been through. All my Bella. My lips twitched and I glanced at the Christmas tree when I thought about how she had reached up to position the star on the very top of it. Her insistence that she didn't need help, the grim determination on her face as she reached up, higher and higher, until she got, the quiet certainty that there was nothing that could _stop_ her from getting it. All my Bella.

Mandy's eyes remained lowered. Her chestnut hair draped over her face like a curtain as she mumbled, "I want to see you kiss."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not certain if I had heard her correctly. "Speak up, Mandy," I requested gently, but I was a little nervous that I _had_ heard correctly.

Mandy sighed, and finally she looked up to meet my eyes. "I want to see you and Bella kiss," she said.

Silence.

I almost gaped at her, but at the last second I managed to compose myself. I was shocked. Shocked and appalled. The one thing she wanted, and it was impossible for me to give it to her.

Her hopeful little face stared up at me, and I thought I saw a spark of trust in her eyes. The silence rolled on for a moment as I struggled to think of what I could possibly say to resolve this situation without letting her down.

At last, the best thing I could manage was a 'maybe'. "We'll see," I said with a little smile.

She studied my face for a long moment. "You won't," she decided at last. I opened my mouth to protest, but she continued. "Alice said you wouldn't. Not unless there was mistletoe." Ah. Alice was behind this. It explained a whole lot. That girl was in trouble when I caught up with her.

"Well…" I looked for a way to salvage this. "She was right. But, I don't know if there will be mistletoe here on Christmas Eve. And besides, Bella won't want to be kissed in front of a lot of people." There. That was pretty believable, especially of Bella. She would never want to be kissed in front of anyone. That would suit me just fine, but she would have to want to be kissed in the first place.

"Oh." Mandy frowned in concentration. Leaving her to her thoughts, I considered my own.

Why had Alice told Mandy we would kiss? The poor little girl would have her heart set on it now, and then she'd be broken up when we didn't end up kissing. Alice should know that…which, as I thought about it, was probably why she was doing this. Alice had tried unsuccessfully for years, attempting to get me to confess to Bella that I liked her – although I was pretty love was the more appropriate term now. I had my reasons why I wouldn't, but Alice just didn't understand them. She dropped hints constantly, and I ignored them all.

Now, though, it looked like I wouldn't be able to any longer. Alice had found a way to get to me – and to Bella as well, I was sure. Knowing that Mandy was counting on us would force us to end up kissing. And that was something I was sure neither of us were ready for.

I ended up staying at the hospital for another few hours. I played with Tyler and another boy named Anthony for a little while (trucks, I think), but I wasn't really paying attention. Finally, I just went back to sit with Mandy. I knew the other children were confused by my behavior. Usually I was a very willing and active participant in whatever game they could conjure up, but today my heart just wasn't in it. Mandy didn't talk much for the rest of the day, and I didn't force her to. I sensed that I had let her down in some way, and I cursed Alice again and again for putting me in the whole situation in the first place.

Finally, at around three o' clock, I hugged Mandy gently and gave her a peck on the cheek, before leaving. She looked sad to see me go.

For the rest of the day, I lounged in my room, wondering what Bella might be doing at that very moment. I couldn't stand it, being away from her like this. It wasn't often that we spent any day apart. We did our homework together, hung out together, and sometimes even slept together. She was my life. The only time that we were forced apart was when Alice dragged Bella on those wretched shopping trips. Sometimes I was allowed to come along; usually I wasn't.

I was at my desk when I heard the front door slam shut and Alice call out a cheerful greeting. I jumped straight out of my chair and lunged down the stairs, praying that she had brought Bella home with her, at least to say hello.

But Alice was alone when I reached her, and my movement stopped. I could feel my face droop in disappointment.

Alice smirked, knowing what I was looking for. "What, you can't give your sister a hug because she didn't bring home the girl you're infatuated with?"

I growled.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Edward. You'll see her on Monday."

I stopped short. "Why not tomorrow?" I asked suspiciously, already plotting ways to steal Bella away if Alice was planning another shopping trip.

"Because," Alice told me happily. "You're coming Christmas shopping with me tomorrow."

There was no way in the world I was missing another day with Bella. "No," I said through clenched teeth. "No, no, no. No." She could beg, plead, threaten, bribe. Nothing was going to move me. I was getting my day with Bella whether Alice liked it or not.

Alice just grinned. "Yep, yep, yep." She grabbed a bowl and some ice cream and starting dishing it out, ignoring my seething face. She was already digging in when I managed to speak without exploding at her.

"You kept us apart today; you are _not_ keeping us apart tomorrow too." Even if I wasn't allowed to explode, I was going to stand firm with this one.

Alice clasped her hands together and sighed. "How romantic," she said dreamily. She laughed at my expression. "My poor, silly brother. Edward, if Bella heard half the things you said, she'd be falling all over you."

"Well, she doesn't," I said grimly. "Back to the point. No shopping."

Alice pouted, her bottom lip jutting out. "But you have to get Bella a present. And I know the perfect place…" She sighed. "Oh well." So. She was cheating and playing the Bella card. She knew I could never resist getting Bella anything, and I didn't know when I was going to get to the store and get her a Christmas present.

I groaned and threw my head in my hands. "Fine. You win."

"I know." She laughed her tinkling laugh. I glared at her. It only made her laugh harder, before going back to her ice cream. I ran a hand through my hair. I just couldn't win a fight a fight against Alice.

But at least I would be doing this for Bella. I got my own bowl of ice cream and carried it to my room, considering my possible choices for gifts. I could always get her a book. I grimaced, picturing Alice's face when I told her I was getting for Bella what I got for her ever Christmas. Even I was bored by it, but the eager look on Bella's face when she unwrapped a new book to add to her collection was truly priceless. I treasured that look. What if I didn't earn it this year by buying her something she didn't like?

But my Bella wasn't like that. She would love whatever I got her, simply because it came from me. I hung on to that thought, even though I hoped that I would be able to get her something she would actually like. It would probably be a bigger disappointment for me than for her if I ended up messing up my gift to her. I almost chuckled at that thought. How well I knew her.

Alice would tell me that's exactly why we belonged together. I would ignore her, like I always did.

Even though she was probably right.

……….

Alice had allowed me one phone call to Bella. It wasn't nearly as good as actually seeing her, but I was taking what I could get.

"Hello?" Bella answered her phone breathlessly, expectantly. Like she had known it would be me. Alice's doing, I was sure.

I chuckled as she caught her breath. "You weren't running down the stairs again, were you?" I asked her. It hadn't ended too well the last time she had tried that. Thank goodness I'd been there.

"Maybe…" Her voice was guilty, with a touch of amusement. I was surprised. Usually she beat me up for teasing her about her clumsiness. Even though I was never really teasing her. I just had to conceal my genuine concern for her behind the teasing. I knew my Bella. She always seemed to find trouble, even if she was only left alone for a moment. It scared me to death having to be away from her. What if she needed me?

"So, Alice is dooming you too, huh?" Bella continued. She sounded sympathetic.

I chuckled without humor. "Yep," I said dryly. "Sorry I couldn't come over today," I apologized longingly. Oh, how I wished I could be with her now.

Bella sighed. "It's alright. It's not your fault." Her voice sounded longing, too.

"So, I saw Mandy, yesterday," I said, thinking back to the very interesting conversation I had had with the girl. There was no way I was bringing that up with Bella, and especially not over a phone. If I ever did, it would be when we were together and alone.

"Oh, how is she?" Bella was immediately anxious. Oh, Bella. Always loving. Always selfless. I felt a touch of pride that I could call her – somewhat – mine.

"Ok," I shrugged, although I knew she couldn't see. "She was quiet."

"I'm so worried about her," Bella said, and I could hear the desperation in her voice. "She just keeps getting worse and worse."

I hated hearing her so upset. "It's alright, Bella," I soothed her, although I understood. I was worried too. Once, when Bella was still just my friend, I would have worried with her, but now I felt an overwhelming need to protect her. "She's been through a lot. She just needs time. At least she's talking to us now, and she did the star thing the other night. That had to mean something."

Bella sighed. "You're right." I could tell she was forcing herself to be comforted.

Alice cleared her throat. I glared at her. "Alice is making me go," I said reluctantly. I expected something sarcastic back from Bella.

Instead her voice was very quiet. "Don't leave. I miss you."

My heart clenched painfully. "I miss you too," I choked. She had no idea what she did to me.

There was a frown in her voice. "Are you ok?"

"Fine," I managed. "I just wish I could sit around all day doing nothing with you."

"Yeah." She sounded like she agreed wholeheartedly.

Alice rolled her eyes. She grabbed the phone from me and put it on speaker. "You too are impossible, you know that right? Just tell each other you're hopelessly in love and make out already!" She sounded frustrated. "Do I have to do everything for you?"

By the time she was done I had the phone in hand and off speaker. I was pretty sure Bella had only heard the beginning of Alice's little speech, but I decided that now was the time to go. I put the phone back to my ear, trying to hide my discomfort before speaking. Bella was probably beat red right now, and I didn't want to fuel her embarrassment.

"We're almost at the mall, alright Bella? I'm gonna go. I hope you don't mind." I spoke hurriedly, silently begging her to let it go and just hang up.

There was silence at the other end. Then, finally, "Alright. Bye Edward." And then she was gone.

I rounded on Alice. "What was that?" I growled. I was furious with her, not so much for myself, but for Bella. She was probably crying by herself right now. And I wasn't there to comfort her.

Alice was really lucky that she actually looked repentant as she apologized. "Sorry. I probably shouldn't have done that, huh?" Heck, right she shouldn't have!

"Whatever." I leaned back with a huff. "Don't you dare do anything like that again. I bet she's crying right now." That reminded me. "Oh." Abruptly I was furious again. I glared at Alice. "And that reminds me. Mandy." I left it at that. Judging by her wince, she obviously knew exactly what I was talking about. "Did you tell her about the mistletoe?"

Alice decided that she would get in trouble if she teased me. She was right. "Yeah, I did," she sighed grudgingly.

"Why?" I demanded. She wasn't getting out of it that easily. I was hearing the whole story.

Alice grimaced. "Before you start bashing me, I'll have you know that Mandy mentioned it first." This caught me by surprise. I waited for her to go on.

Alice sighed. "Look, Mandy asked me if Bella was your…significant other, and I sort of said maybe, and she –"

"What do you mean _maybe_?" I growled angrily.

"I said maybe, ok Edward? And she asked why you two never kissed. And I told her that you would on Christmas Eve if there was mistletoe. And…that's it." She glanced at me, anticipating my wrath.

"_Why,_ Alice? Why did you do it? I don't care about myself so much. And I know Bella doesn't either. But _Mandy_, Alice." This wasn't about me. This was about a sick little girl who I wouldn't allow to be disappointed. Ever. "It'll crush her."

"If you don't kiss," Alice said smugly. She glanced at me. "I know Bella too, Edward. Maybe not as well as you do," she allowed. "But still. Neither of you would ever say a word if I didn't interfere." She was right, of course, but that still gave her no right to put us in a place that could potentially hurt Mandy. She didn't deserve to be dragged into this.

Alice's face softened. "That, and the look on Mandy's face when she told me about the kiss. I couldn't just say no to her," she pointed out. "You know that as well as I do." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Yes. Yes I did know.

I let the subject drop after that, reluctantly accepting that there wasn't any way around the Christmas Eve kiss. Alice didn't bring it up again either, sensing that I was in no mood. We spent the rest of the car ride making small talk. It was almost relaxing, spending this time with my sister, but part of my mind couldn't forget about Bella. She was in every thought I had.

……….

"Alright." Alice turned to me, finally. "We can do Bella now," she said with a grin. I had spent the better part of the day allowing Alice to drag me around the mall as she caught up on some small errands and did Christmas shopping that she hadn't gotten to the day before. I couldn't figure out how she could spend a whole day in a mall and _still_ have shopping to do.

I sighed gratefully as she granted me relief. Finally, I could concentrate on my Bella.

"What did you have in mind?" Alice asked critically, her eyes narrowing.

I opened my mouth, but she flung her hand over it to stop me from speaking. "Don't you dare say books," she said threateningly. I grimaced. That was exactly what I was thinking about.

"It's not like I get her the same book every year," I pointed out. "And there's this new bestseller out that I know she would love. It's called Twilight. Oh, and she desperately a new edition of Pride and Prejudice. She's worn hers out." I smiled affectionately, picturing Bella as she defended her copy of Pride and Prejudice while I rolled my eyes and playfully wondered why she would possibly want to read any book thirty-seven times.

Alice sighed. "You can get her the books, but get her something else too." Her eyes twinkled, and I was automatically suspicious. I knew that look. She had something up her sleeve.

"Very well," I relented. "What did you have in mind?" Because, without a doubt, she had something in mind.

Alice shrugged. "A few things," she said vaguely. "Actually, I was thinking maybe jewelry." She watched me, gauging my reaction. I raised an eyebrow. Jewelry? That was the best she do? Bella didn't particularly like jewelry, not like Alice did. She would wear a necklace or bracelet on occasion, but she didn't fawn over it like I saw some girls doing.

And also, I was thinking about the connotations of getting jewelry for someone who was _just a friend._

"Why in the world would I get her jewelry?" I asked skeptically.

"Just take a look in a few places," Alice urged me. "See if you like anything. If you really, truly don't find anything you think Bella would like, you can get her a book, ok?" I couldn't believe I was letting my younger sister manipulate me. Although, I suppose, if anyone could, she'd be the one to do it.

I sighed. Better to just get it over with. "Fine."

Alice beamed. "Great! Come on, I know this perfect place." She took my hand eagerly and weaved us in and around the crowds. We were on the other side of the mall when I managed to pull her to a stop.

"Where are we going?" I asked her impatiently. We'd been walking for ten minutes across the entire building.

"Right here," Alice said, waving her hand in front of her body. I looked to where she was pointing. It was a jewelry store alright, identical to the ten other similar stores that we had passed on the way. I wondered at Alice's motives, but didn't voice my curiosity. If she hadn't explained yet, she never would.

I grudgingly followed Alice into the store. She led me to a few cases in the front, and I was immediately repelled by what I saw. All of the pieces were elaborate and busy. Some had big, fat stones that I didn't find attractive at all, and wondered why some women did. I raised an eyebrow at Alice.

"You're telling me that Bella would wear this?" I asked in a low voice, so that the woman behind the counter wouldn't hear me bashing her merchandise. Although, to tell the truth, it did deserve a good bashing. It was disgusting. I imagined the fun that Bella and I could have in here and nearly grinned.

"What do _you_ think?" Alice asked, just as quietly. I still couldn't figure out what she was trying to do.

"No! She would hate this stuff. So let's just leave." I pleaded.

"You haven't searched half this store, Edward," Alice said confidently. "Take a look around." She nudged me. "Go on. Shoo."

I rolled my eyes. Muttering to myself, I gave the place a quick once over, and found absolutely nothing. I turned to find Alice, but she wasn't behind me like I thought she'd be. I swept the store for her, but she was no where to be found.

Cursing Alice, I started to head back to the front of the store, but before I could get there, something caught my eye. I frowned and made my way over to another case, a smaller one that was nearly invisible from its place in the corner. I peered in curiously. A small sigh escaped my lips at what I'd found. Simple and sweet. Just like my Bella. She didn't need all that crazy junk to make her beautiful. It was one of the things I loved about her.

My eyes traced the contents of the case until I found a perfect piece. I'd struck gold. This was the one. It was so…Bella.

Smiling to myself, I found the cashier and asked politely if she could get me the necklace that I wanted. She disappeared into the back room, and I could tell she was disappointed that I hadn't gone for one of the more expensive pieces. I couldn't have cared less.

With my precious gift paid for, I left the store, ignoring the cashier's eyes, which I knew were on me. I found Alice sitting lazily on a bench outside the store, chewing on a soft pretzel. I reached out for a bite, trading it for my bag.

"What do you think?" I asked her as she pulled it out of its box. She held up at eye-level the little golden dove on its light, fragile-looking chain, inspecting it carefully. I waited curiously, wondering if she disapproved.

Then she looked up at me with a wide grin on her face. "Perfect."

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**Author's Note-I'm really sorry about the late update! I was sick the past week and I just got back to school on Thursday, so I had a lot of make up work to catch up on. Then, I was going to put it up last night, but I had to drop something off at a friend's house with my dad, then pick up my sister, then go to the store. By the time this chapter was done, it was too late to put it up. Sorry.**

**I couldn't resist that Twilight reference lol. I hope you liked EPOV. Sorry there was no Bella. There will be more interaction between the two of them next chapter, I promise! In the meantime, please review. I'll update if I get ten reviews(hopefully more?) ok? Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer - I don't own Twilight**

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Under the Mistletoe

Chapter Four

Bella's POV

"What's first?" Edward asked me, peering over my shoulder at the sheet of paper in my hands. It was _the_ list. The Christmas list for the children at the hospital. I inspected the column of toys and other items, making the quick calculations in my head of how much this was all going to cost. I grimaced when I arrived at my answer, but didn't waste my breath voicing my complaints. Edward would refuse to hear a word of it anyway.

I tried to ignore the close proximity of his body as he practically leaned against me in an attempt to see the list. I could feel the heat on my cheeks, and was grateful that he was behind me and wouldn't be able to see my face.

I cleared my throat. "Um, well, I figured we'd start with the littler kids' stuff first. You know, the toys." I turned my head sideways just a bit to grin at him. It was always the most fun buying the toys. It gave us a chance to be kids again.

He smiled crookedly back at me in understanding, and I concentrated hard on breathing. We both turned sharply when Alice cleared her throat pointedly. She watched us with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

"Are we going to shop for these kids or ogle at each other all day?" she hinted. I blushed, and Edward stepped casually away from me, fiddling with his hands. After a moment of awkward silence on our part, Edward spoke, as if nothing had passed between us.

"Any excuse to shop," he muttered, with a conspiratorial wink at me. I giggled, and just like that we were two best friends again, fooling around a bit and just having fun. Alice rolled her eyes.

I laughed at her. "Come on," I said. "We don't have all day. We have to pick Emmett and Rosalie up at four, remember?" The two missing members of our little posse would be returning from college that afternoon, and we would officially be a family again. Since they were coming by plane, Edward, Jasper, Alice and I had planned to drive them from the little airport in Port Angeles to Forks.

Edward shrugged, smirking. "It would do Emmett good to learn some patience." I giggled, thinking of his burly brother, whose tough appearance contrasted his boyish antics. Edward had little patience for him, but to me, he was like the older brother I never had. I adored Emmett…well, except for when he was making highly uncalled for comments about Edward and me, which had been ongoing for three years now.

Alice's mind had never strayed from shopping. "Who's first on the list?" she asked as she grabbed the paper from me before I could stop her.

"Hey! _My_ list!"

She ignored me, her eyes sweeping the writing quickly. "Let's do Tyler first!" Alice exclaimed happily. I groaned. Of course Alice would go out of order. Every year, we went down the list in a very orderly fashion, but it looked like the newest addition to our little squad was going to change that. I figured we might as well appease her, and glanced at Edward, who shrugged.

"Fine," I allowed with a sigh. Alice beamed.

We squirmed through the crowds, Alice skipping along excitedly as she wished a 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy Holidays' to people she didn't know. I watched their bewildered expressions as the spiky-haired pixie girl danced by them with a cheerful grin on her face. Edward and I followed behind at a more reasonable pace and laughed at her antics, making jokes about how we 'didn't' know her. In truth, we loved Alice; she had personality. Despite her foolishness, she had a good heart, and I was touched that she seemed to care as much about the kids at the hospital as Edward and I did, especially when she had really only gotten involved with them a few months ago.

Eventually, Alice managed to lead us to K.B. Toys, the only big toy store in the mall. I wasn't particularly a fan of the place; there wasn't nearly as much of a selection as Toys R Us. But we would have to make do.

The Christmas theme was as obvious here as it was in every other store we'd entered. A display of stuffed, walking dogs sported Santa hats, and plastic snowflakes dangled from the ceiling. The LEGO aisle included Santa's Train, Santa's Sleigh, and Santa's Workshop, and Barbie dolls were decked out in all sorts of Christmas attire. I sighed peacefully, remembering how magical it all was to me when I was little. Even if I had managed to somehow murder every Barbie doll I ever owned.

Edward's train of thought was obviously heading down the same path as mine, because he laughed when he spotted the dolls.

I swatted his arm. "Be nice," I muttered, although even that playful contact had succeeded in sending goose bumps up my arm. My reaction only made him chuckle harder.

"I'm sorry, Bella, I can't help it," Edward said solemnly after a moment, draping his arm casually around my shoulder. I noticed that he carefully made sure that the rest of our bodies weren't touching. "You were just so cute when you were little."

"I don't know what happened," Alice teased, popping up on my other side and copying Edward's arm. I stuck my tongue out at her.

The first song we heard resounding throughout the store was 'Jingle Bells'. I blushed and giggled nervously at the memories I had of this song. In first grade, we had sung it in our winter show, and I had been dressed as a snowflake. I was supposed to walk to center stage with a few other kids…the costume had ripped…I tripped over it…and Bella meets floor. That was the last school function I ever participated in.

Edward chuckled and squeezed my shoulder, knowing exactly what I was grimacing for. "You're still bent up about that? It was first grade," he pointed out. His eyes twinkled as they laughed at me. I slipped away from his arm, glowering at him.

"It was the whole _school_ Edward," I complained. "Emmett never let me live it down." Even today, Emmett couldn't resist cracking a joke whenever he heard the song. I tried not to let it bother me, but Emmett's booming voice was hard to ignore.

Alice rolled her eyes and walked away from us, heading for the next aisle. A few seconds later, her voice floated towards us. "Hey guys, I think I found it. Stop staring at each other and come here." Face red, I trailed behind Edward to where Alice was successfully holding up and thin, long box, a proud grin on her face. The object was a race car track, the new one that Tyler had been begging his father to buy forever.

I inspected the box. It was large, and nearly as long as Alice was tall. Apparently, it came with two cars, a complicated-looking track, an engine, and batteries.

I grimaced. "Should I ask how much it is?"

Alice snickered.

With a smirk, Edward said, "I wouldn't. It doesn't matter anyway, seeing as you're not the one paying for it." He reminded me rather pointedly.

I sighed. "Fine." I pictured Tyler's face splitting into an irrepressible grin as he tore wrapping paper away to reveal his dream track, and it was more than fine. Maybe the Cullens' money did have some advantages. I allowed myself to smile reluctantly at Edward and Alice.

"That's the spirit!" Alice grinned, grabbing the racecar track from Edward, and bounding off again.

"You'd think _she_ was a kid getting these toys," Edward muttered.

"That's Alice," I sighed, and Edward chuckled.

"Let's catch up to her before she scares anyone alright?" He watched in amusement as Alice started chatting animatedly to a startled woman, who was struggling to keep a hold on her two young boys. They were complaining as we neared, whining loudly about how they wanted some toy or another.

Alice eyed them disapprovingly and bent down so that she was able to look into their faces. She indicated the track in her hands. "Did you know that this track is for a little boy who is in the hospital right now, and won't be home for Christmas?" she asked casually, although her eyes bored into them. The woman seemed thoroughly puzzled and a little worried. I shrugged at her sheepishly, hoping to convince her that Alice was harmless.

The boys seemed entranced but disconcerted by this strange girl. They glanced at each other with wide eyes, and then looked back at Alice. "How will Santa give him presents?" One asked anxiously. He looked a little older than the other boy, whose lip quivered.

"Santa is going to make a special trip to see him," Alice assured them. "But he doesn't get to come here and see all these toys. He doesn't get to be with his parents all the time." She glanced pointedly at the mother, whom the boys had been pestering insistently moments before.

The boys glanced guiltily at each other, and then at their feet.

"Who's the boy?" One boy eventually asked.

Alice smiled. "His name is Tyler. He's probably about your age. He likes cars."

"I hope he feels better in time for Christmas," the younger boy mumbled.

"Gosh, I would hate being sick on Christmas!" the other boy exclaimed.

Alice hopped up and nodded fervently. "Me too." She glanced at the mother and grinned. "Merry Christmas!" She giggled delightedly and snatched mine and Edward's hands, yanking us off. I'm sure we left a very bewildered little family staring after us.

"What in the _world_ was that?" Edward demanded when we had gone down a few aisles and were out of earshot. He looked disapproving as he stared Alice down.

"Relax Edward," Alice said distractedly. We had reached the dress-up aisle and she stared down it with ogling eyes. "Wow, come on Bella, we didn't have half this stuff when we were kids!" She grabbed a bright pink hat with a wide brim and an array of feathers on top and popped it on her head. She topped it off with a light pink, very fluffy, scarf.

Posing, she asked, "How do I look?"

I laughed. "Wonderful, Alice. Like a princess," I humored her.

Edward snickered. "Like a cream puff, you mean." Alice stuck out her tongue at him.

"So who wants dress-up stuff Bella?" she asked me eagerly.

I took a quick look through the list. "Megan and Emily," I read. "And Nicole wants a Barbie doll. They're at the end of this aisle." I nodded my head towards the shelves of various Babies, grimacing. I was glad Alice was here, so I wouldn't have to pick out all this stuff. She knew far better than I what little girls would want, since I had tended to avoid this particular genre when I was young.

"Good plan; bringing her, I mean," I said gratefully to Edward. I had been slightly vexed when I found out that Edward and I wouldn't be alone, but now it looked like Alice was earning her keep.

Edward grinned at me.

Alice seemed totally satisfied with her solo work as she flitted along the shelves of a variety of dresses, most of which were princess themed, skirts, funky hats and scarves like the ones she was still wearing, and those terrible heeled shoes with the fat, plastic jewels glued to the top. I had tripped more than once walking around with those dreadful things on my feet.

At last, Alice approached us with her findings. The hat and scarf were gone, and in her arms were a boxed set of an assortment of plastic jewelry, a pair of plastic heels, a violet _Pretty Princess _dress, and a crown.

"Megan likes the accessories better, and she already has a dress," Alice explained as she handed over the shoes and jewelry. "And Emily likes the whole princess theme, so the dress works too." She looked pleased with herself.

I smiled, relieved. "Great. You're awesome at this, Alice."

She laughed and winked. "Oh, I know."

……….

Hours later, Edward, Alice and I were seated at the food court, inspecting the assembly of a wide variety of bags at our feet. There were at least a dozen, and their contents spilled over the edges. I caught a _My Little Pony_ set before it tumbled to the floor.

"I'm not wrapping all of it this time," I declared, glaring at Edward.

Alice smirked. "We paid for it," she shot back.

"Alice!" Edward and I hissed at the same time. I glanced at him, thankful that he was sticking up for me. He smiled back, and my heart ached as I caught the tenderness in his eyes. I longed to go to him, to wrap my arms around him and never release him. Forever, with Edward.

I squashed my feet firmly together before I made a fool of myself leaping at him. Alice was watching me pitifully, and I was distracted as I recalled her comment.

"You know I offered to put in my half!" I protested, slightly embarrassed that we were even having this conversation.

Alice looked appropriately remorseful. "I'm sorry, Bella, really. You know I was just kidding. I didn't know how badly it would get to you."

"It's ok," I sighed, shoveling a bite of pizza into my mouth. I swallowed and looked back at the list, which was on the table by my plate. I inspected who we had left to buy for, and winced when I realized that only Mandy was left. I had purposefully saved her for last, knowing what Alice would bring up when we got to her. There was only one thing that Mandy wanted. I was by no means planning to deny her, exactly, but I still wasn't sure how I was going to appease her. How could I explain to Edward what she wanted? I had no idea how to bring up the topic with him.

"We've got Mandy left," I gulped. I flashed a glance at Edward, and he seemed to tense. I wondered why, but I looked down at my pizza quickly, with no time to really inspect his stance.

"What does she want?" Alice asked cautiously. I was surprised that she finally seemed to have accepted my unwillingness to broach the subject. Her eyes were wary as I looked up at her, as if bracing herself for an explosion. Well, as long as she was going to behave, no explosion would be necessary. I half-smiled reassuringly at her, and she relaxed. But she was still waiting for my response.

I stared at the blank space next to Mandy's name. "Um…" I shifted in my seat.

"Oh, for goodness sake, just let me see it!" Alice exclaimed, swiping the paper away from me. She registered the blank spot immediately, because she looked up at me with raised eyebrows. I shrugged sheepishly.

Edward sighed. "Do I get an explanation too?" he asked, looking at me. I blushed, and stared at my lap.

"It's sort of complicated…" I began.

"We have time," Edward interrupted me. I twisted my fingers together nervously. My eyes happened to stray to my watch, and I abruptly realized that, no, we didn't have time.

"Oh shoot!" I jumped out of my seat and started grabbing the bags, gulping down the last bit of pizza on my plate hurriedly. Edward and Alice watched me in confusion.

"What?" Alice asked.

"It's four o' clock." I told them. They stared at me, not apprehending. I rolled my eyes. "Emmett, Rosalie," I hinted. We should have left the mall a few hours ago to make sure we made it in time. Oh well. Too late now.

Alice's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Whoops," Edward snickered. I was sure he was imagining with glee the sour expression on Emmett's face as he was forced to stand around in the rain, waiting for us to come get him. There were no indoor facilities at the small airport in Port Angeles. I giggled at the picture my mind conjured.

"So," I said with a mischievous gleam in my eyes. "Who votes on leaving Emmett stranded for a few more hours?"

"Emmett deserves it," Edward agreed. "But I doubt Rosalie would appreciate it." Hmph. The gentleman in Edward always ruined my schemes. He was no fun. And I loved him for it.

"Besides," Alice added. "Jasper's waiting too. We still have to go all the way to Forks, get him, and then get to Port Angeles."

"Since when were we getting Jasper?" I asked. As far as I was aware, that hadn't part of the plan.

"Since I said so," she declared. I rolled my eyes.

"Come on, it will take hours at this rate." Alice grabbed the remaining bags and piled some into Edward's arms, shouldering the rest.

"Not with Edward's crazy driving," I muttered.

He smirked at me. "See, it comes in handy sometimes," he defended his speeding, winking. Me heart pumped erratically, and I looked away.

We threw out our food and sped-walked through the mall. My short frame struggled to keep up with Alice's pace, despite her smaller body. I latched onto Edward's hand to keep up, letting him pull me along. He squeezed my hand and I felt the electricity whipping up my arm. I longed to satisfy the burning, and feel his arms around me, but I was afraid. What if he said no? Would the rejection harm our friendship?

I was quiet on the drive home. Edward was at the wheel, so I had an excuse not to engage him in conversation. Alice was in the back, murmuring to Jasper on her cell phone.

I felt like I was in one of those stupid kid drama television shows. I had never watched them, but I got the gist of the overdramatic, unrealistic stories. I had laughed down at them, but I wondered now if maybe they possessed a spark of truth.

The truth was that I loved Edward. I loved him as a best friend, but also as something more. I wanted to spend forever with him. Three years ago, the notion of falling in love had seemed ridiculous to me. And then I realized and gradually came to understand how essential Edward was to my life. I wasn't right without him. I wasn't whole.

Every time Alice said anything on the subject, she was right. I wouldn't admit that to her, but that didn't alter the truth in everything she said. Edward and I had been made for each other. Destiny, fate, whatever. It was true of us.

Oh, how I wanted that kiss on Christmas Eve.

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**Author's Note - Sorry about the late update, and the shortness of this chapter. I was going to add in what was going to happen when they picked up Rosalie and Emmett, but then it would end up being too long. So, you'll just have to wait for next chapter.**

**I'm writing three stories right now. Under the Mistletoe, Someday You'll Know, and the novel I'm writing with the help of my school librarian. That's a lot of work. My plan is to get one chapter out for each story every week (There's only two left for this story). Essentially, that's like three chapters a week if I had been writing one story. Sorry updates won't be coming so quickly anymore. **

**One last thing! Are any of you even reading this note anymore? Lol. Anyway, I wrote a BD missing moment oneshot featuring Edward and Renesmee if you want to check it out. It's called Music for Renesmee. :)**

**Thanks for the reviews! Eleven! Can you do it again? **


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay! I decorated my Christmas Tree yesterday! It looks awesome!! :D**

**Disclaimer - I don't own Twilight**

**I've never done this before with any chapter of any story, but I wanted to dedicate this chapter to MilesofSmiles13 and bearhug946 because they both seem to love this story so much, they review every chapter, and they both pretty much begged me to get this next chapter out(And because bearhug946 honored me with a very awesome fact about Idaho. Lol :p).**

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Under the Mistletoe

Chapter Five

Thanks in large part to Edward's insane driving, we got to Jasper's house in plenty of time. Edward slid the silver Volvo smoothly into the driveway and honked the horn twice. A moment later, the front door opened and Jasper bounded over to the car. Alice opened her door and stepped out.

I rolled my eyes. "Where are you going? We don't have time for you to say hello to Jasper." Edward smirked. Saying hello to Jasper usually involved a lot of touching and a rather long kiss.

"I'm not saying hi to Jasper, Bella," Alice sighed in exasperation. Jasper reached her and wrapped an arm around her tightly. She leaned into his embrace and I raised my eyebrows.

Jasper hadn't heard us, and he leaned down to wave at Edward and I. "You two have fun getting Rosalie and Emmett," he said, uncharacteristically cheerful.

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion. "You guys better not be ditching on us," I added threateningly. That would explain Jasper's cheerfulness. I'd be happy too if I was getting a chance to miss out on Rosalie's wrath. The fact that Jasper was her brother didn't exactly help her temper.

"Sorry Bella," Alice said apologetically. She shrugged sheepishly. "There's something I need to do, though. It can't wait."

"What?" I asked suspiciously. She was acting a little too casual.

"You'll see," she said vaguely, with a grin.

I sighed. "Whatever. Enjoy getting out of this one Jasper." I grinned mischievously. "Don't think I'll forget it."

Edward chuckled. Jasper winked. "We'll see."

We left Alice and Jasper kissing rather enthusiastically in the driveway. For once, I wasn't disgusted by it; I envied them, how easily they were with each other, together. I shot a glance at Edward from the corner of my eye. I wished I could reach out and hold his hand on the seat. I longed for his thumb to rub smooth circles over the back of my hand. He did that sometimes when he wanted to comfort me, but I wanted him to do it because he loved me.

"Someone's quiet," Edward noted, looking at me with that crooked smile sprawled across his face. I forced myself to think coherently. It was so hard not to throw myself at him when he looked at me like that. To somehow, _somehow_ show him how much I loved him.

He was waiting for an answer. "Oh, um…" I tried to think of something believable. "I'm trying to figure out where Alice would need to go so badly that she's not coming with us. She had all day to do whatever. Why _now_?"

"Bella," Edward chuckled affectionately. "You over think everything, especially when it comes to my sister. Even if it is usually justifiable," he allowed when he saw my expression. "But it's probably nothing. Don't worry so much," He soothed me. I doubted it was nothing, but I sighed and didn't pursue the topic. Edward would just keep telling me that I was overreacting.

"Edward?" I asked slowly, changing the topic. "What's going to happen to Mandy?" I couldn't stop worrying about the little girl. I hadn't spoken to Edward about her for awhile, and I wanted to know if Carlisle had any more answers for her.

Edward sighed. "I don't know Bella. Dad has talked to a few families he knows who have adopted kids before, but none of them can handle it right now." He hesitated. "Bella…if we can't find a place for her, she might have to go to some sort of children's home." His voice was full of regret, and his eyes were sad.

I gasped, caught completely off guard. No matter how many problems Mandy was facing, what he was suggesting had never crossed my mind. "What?! No!" I grasped Edward's arm. "Edward, no! You can't do that, she'll fall apart in one of those places. She needs people. She needs us, we care about her!" I felt the tears of desperation prick my eyes. "Please," I choked out.

He wrapped and arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. I buried my head in his shoulder, breathing in his sweet, soothing scent. "Please…" I whispered chokingly.

"I don't want it either Bella," Edward murmured, rubbing my back. "Goodness knows Dad will try his best, but I don't know what we can do if we can't find someone who wants her."

I whimpered. "This could be her last Christmas with us then," I realized in a whisper. Her last Christmas of relative happiness and comfort. Of joy. Of knowing someone cared. Who knew where she would be in a year from now? Knowing such, I vowed to do everything in my power to make it wonderful for her.

But that meant…

I would have to kiss Edward.

On Christmas Eve.

Under mistletoe.

"Oh!" I gasped before I could stop myself. I yanked away from Edward without thinking about it.

"Bella?" he asked in puzzlement.

I threw my hand over my mouth. There would be no way to conjure an excuse for that one. But I was dismayed. The kiss was inevitable now, because it was what Mandy wanted, and I was in no way going to deny Mandy. I looked up at Edward and debated just explaining everything to him, and telling him that we had to do it for Mandy, no matter how we felt. I knew _I_ wanted the kiss, but I had no idea whether or not he did as well, and somehow I had to convey that regardless, we _would_ have to kiss. Even if it meant nothing to us, it would mean everything to Mandy.

"Bella?" Edward chuckled, worriedly now. The sound seemed to get stuck in his throat, and he rubbed my knee anxiously. "You alright?"

"Yeah," I said breathlessly, falling back on the seat and closing my eyes. Now would have to be the time to tell him, before I lost my nerve. Unless I had already lost it. "I'm fine," I added when he looked at me skeptically, more to reassure myself that I could do this than to comfort him.

Edward took my hand again, and spoke before I could open my mouth. "If I'd known that you'd get that worked up about it, I would have waited," he murmured regretfully. "I'm sorry."

It took me a second to realize what he was talking about. My recent epiphany had blocked all other things. Then I remembered his news; Mandy would get sent to one of those horrid children's homes if we didn't find her a family soon.

I was relieved that his assumption saved me from having to think of an excuse, but I was still distraught that Mandy would be forced to leave us. It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve that.

"It's alright," I assured Edward, although it definitely was not alright. The moment to confess Mandy's Christmas wish had passed. I squeezed his hand on my leg before he withdrew it and continued driving. We didn't bring up the topic again for the rest of the drive, and soon enough we had reached the airport in Port Angeles.

"Prepare yourself," I joked as we got out of the car. Edward chuckled.

We spotted Rosalie and Emmett waiting for us impatiently in the rain, without even a jacket or umbrella to account for. Their hair and clothes were sopping wet, and water drizzled down their faces. Even wet, Rosalie still managed to look like a model, although I had gotten over my jealousy years ago. She was glowering at us, and she muttered something to Emmett as we came over. Emmett just laughed his big, booming laugh. I heard the sound and was, in a way, comforted. I'd forgotten how much I missed Emmett.

When we reached the two, Rosalie started to say something angrily, but it was drowned out by Emmett's "Bella!" as he swept me up into a hug.

"Hey Emmett!" I squeaked, crushed against his chest in a grip that took my breath away.

"Let her go Emmett." I heard Edward sigh. Emmett released me reluctantly and I stumbled back. Edward caught me in his arms and brought me to a halt.

Emmett smirked. "Defending your girlfriend, little brother?" He snickered. I blushed, and twisted out of Edward's arms hurriedly. I swore I saw him looking at me regretfully as I left his arms, before he glared at his brother.

Rosalie hit Emmett on the chest. "Be nice," she chided him, with a sympathetic glance at me. I smiled back at her gratefully. Although our early friendship back in middle school had been a little shaky, Rose and I were now firm friends. She was the only one who sided with me when it came to my Edward situation.

"What?" Emmett whined. Rosalie rolled her eyes and turned to me.

"Hey Rose," I said breathlessly as she pulled me in for a tight hug.

"Hi Bella." She returned the greeting warmly, then whispered in my ear so that the boys wouldn't hear us. "Sorry about Emmett."

I shrugged and pulled away. "S'ok. Sorry we were late."

"That's alright. Although I completely ruined my clothes." She looked down in disgust at her drenched shirt and jeans. I assumed they were designer – that was the only thing Rosalie ever wore. Designer and _expensive._ I shuddered just thinking about it.

"Besides, I'm sure you had a good excuse," Rosalie hinted, mock glaring at me. There was a teasing glint in her eye.

I smiled. I'd forgotten how much I'd missed Rose, too. "Yeah," I assured her. "We were doing our Christmas shopping for the hospital kids…and Alice was with us."

Rosalie chuckled. "That explains it. So where is the little squirt anyway? I thought you were all coming to get us."

I frowned when I remembered Alice, and shot a glance at Edward, who had been talking to Emmett. He had looked up when he heard Alice's name. Rosalie watched us perceptively as we stared at each other.

"Uh oh," she said knowingly. "What'd she do now?"

I laughed nervously. "We don't exactly know."

"She told us she had something she needed to do," Edward explained. He smiled at me affectionately. "And I still think Bella's reading too much into it."

"I don't," Rose snorted skeptically. "Come on Bella, let's get home before she blows the house to bits." She grabbed my arm and hurried for the car, leaving Emmett and Edward to get the luggage. I knew I could count on Rosalie to know that Alice was definitely up to something. I was relieved because she would inevitably side with me if Alice was planning anything too outlandish.

The ride home was overwhelmed with Emmett's enthusiastic voice, suggesting this or that in the ways of Christmas decorations. We were planning to go all out at the Cullen's house this year, and Emmett was rather opinionated. We all dutifully listened, but none of us really took many of his suggestions to heart.

"You do know that we're the ones who are going to make all the decisions, right Emmett?" Rosalie teased him, referring to herself, Alice, and me. She pecked him on the cheek.

"Yeah," I laughed in agreement, looking back at him from the passenger seat. "You guys are just there for the manual labor."

"And you're very welcome for that," Edward said pointedly, grinning crookedly at me.

I rolled my eyes, although my heart was doing flip-flops. "Thank you Edward," I said sarcastically. I loved seeing him like this; cheerful, fun – he was too serious, especially as of late. I knew he was just as worried about Mandy as I was. It was nice to watch him enjoying himself, fooling around with me the way he used to when we were kids.

We made it to the Cullen's mansion by seven. Jasper's car was already parked off to the side of the long drive, and Alice was practically bouncing up and down as she waited for us on the front porch. Jasper was sitting on the steps, appearing vaguely amused by her antics.

Unable to contain her enthusiasm, Alice leapt down the steps and met us at the car, grinning. "Emmett, Rose!" she cried, throwing herself at Rosalie, who rolled her eyes, albeit affectionately, and returned Alice's embrace a bit more reservedly.

"Alice!" Emmett yelled back, stealing her from Rosalie and sweeping her up off the ground and into his arms, laughing.

Rosalie rolled her eyes as Jasper came up. "I don't know how you put up with her," she muttered to her brother, putting an arm around him.

Jasper only smiled affectionately as he watched Alice. "I manage," he said quietly, the smile still playing on his lips. Once more that jealousy I was feeling sprung up towards the two couples. I stood a few feet apart from them, leaning against the car. I noticed Edward also on his own, watching Emmett set Alice on her feet and Rose take her place, kissing Emmett once on the lips before handing him their luggage with a smirk. She had decided to stay with Emmett instead of living with her parents and Jasper for the holidays.

Alice and Jasper walked hand in hand into the house after Emmett and Rosalie. I stayed outside with Edward. We were both quiet for a minute. Edward looked thoughtful, and I was thinking about how much I'd rather just stay here, alone with him, than handle the chaos that I knew awaited us inside.

I was pretty sure Edward was thinking the same thing, because he looked back at me wistfully before offering me his hand. I accepted it and reluctantly allowed him to lead me into the house. I could hear Emmett laughing, Alice screaming, and Rosalie yelling at them both to behave. Carlisle and Esme were _really_ lucky that they worked late.

"You call that a _tree_?" Emmett accused when we entered the living room. He was glaring critically at Alice, who stood with her hands on her tiny waist. It was comical watching the little pixie face off with the giant. I stifled a giggle and glanced at the subject in question. The Christmas tree was huge, brushing against the ceiling that was at least ten feet off the ground. It had large, sturdy branches that could hold even the heaviest ornaments. All in all, I though it was a pretty good tree.

Apparently, Emmett disagreed with me.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Alice shot back. "And that's the tree that _we_ are going to be decorating. If you're so insulted, you don't have to join us."

Edward shot me an exasperated look and joined Jasper in the relative safety of the couch. This time I couldn't help the giggles.

"You tell them Bella," Rose muttered, coming up behind me. She glared at Emmett, who immediately backed down under her gaze. Alice relaxed when she saw me and bounced over to kiss my cheek.

"Hi Bella," she said cheerfully, and again I got the feeling that she knew something that I didn't. I had no idea what she was up to, or what she had been doing while we were gone, and was a little scared to know. "_You_ like the tree, don't you?" she continued.

"Alice, I helped pick it," I pointed out. She beamed. Emmett grumbled, but didn't protest further. With that, the petty argument was concluded.

We spent an hour working on the tree. Half of that time was spent attempting to untangle more lights. Edward shot death glares at Emmett every time he got stuck in the wires. I had to _try_ to help him out of them, which usually resulted in a larger, twisted mass as I got involved. Finally, we managed to get them straightened out and dangling from the branches.

"Pretty," Emmett decided when we stepped back to inspect our progress. Rose rolled her eyes and slapped his arm. He pulled her to him and kissed her lips with a loud smack. Rosalie struggled from his grip, but when she pulled back, her eyes were soft with affection. I looked away, and felt like crying.

"Ornaments," Alice proclaimed. While everyone else gathered around the box of ornaments, she cast a sympathetic look at me. I shrugged it off with a smile and joined the others.

Emmett had immediately lunged for all of his favorites, nearly crushing the delicate glass globes on top.

"Emmett!" Rose cried, distraught as he just missed knocking all of her carefully collected globes out of the box. They tumbled against the sides of the cardboard box as Emmett stuffed his hands further inside.

He froze at the sound of her voice. "Sorry Rosie," he apologized quickly, wincing, and gently set straight the mess in the box. He cast anxious glances at his girlfriend as he worked, probably anticipating a slap in the face or more yelling. For all his muscle and brawn, Emmett was scared stiff of Rosalie. I found it incredibly amusing.

"Shoo," Rose shoved him aside when he was finished. "You're not allowed to so much as put one finger on any of them unless I say so." She glared at him.

Emmett gulped and mock saluted, his eyes glinting teasingly now that the danger was past. "Yes mam," he said in fake solemnity. She rolled her eyes and began picking through the ornaments. Alice and I joined her, letting the boys hang whichever ornaments we found fitting for the tree. Eventually, I got bored with the routine and joined Edward as he decorated. He lifted me up easily so that I could hang some ornaments on the higher branches that I had no hope of reaching otherwise. Whenever he did this, my whole body would tingle with pleasure and electricity. I did my best to ignore it.

"Cocoa time?" Emmett asked hopefully when the tree was fully decked out in its Christmas attire.

"Nope," Alice said with a tight grin, tugging a reluctant Jasper towards the front door. "Lights are next, you know that." Rosalie laughed and kissed Emmett's pouting lips. I carefully avoided turning my eyes on them, instead allowing Edward to link arms with me. I was used to all the casual contact between us – it was just the way we were. But my heart ached for the connection of our arms to mean something more.

The outdoor lights were brand new, still in the box, big fat, multi-color bulbs. Boy, did Emmett get a kick out of that. We plugged them in to see if they worked, and his eyes lit up along with them.

"I swear, he's like a kid on Christmas," Edward muttered, coming up behind me. "No pun intended," he added. I pulled the plug out of the outlet and the lights snapped off. We were immediately plunged into darkness. The sun had set hours ago.

I laughed. "Sometimes I feel bad for Rose," I said, which was a terrible lie. No, no I definitely did _not_ feel sorry for Rosalie. I envied her; envied her so terribly that it hurt, because she could call Emmett hers, and Edward was still a world away from me.

Edward chuckled and then took the string of lights away from me. "So where are these going?" he called to Alice. He didn't bother asking me, although it was supposed to be the three of us girls who did all the planning. We all knew that Alice had the final say.

"The bushes in the front of the house. You and Bella do that. Rosalie, help Emmett with the icicle lights and then I want those to wrap all around the house." She grimaced at Emmett. "And please, _please_ don't let him mess it up." At that Emmett stuck his tongue out at her like the five year old he was, and Alice just grinned triumphantly back at him.

"Will they ever grow up?" Edward chuckled quietly to me as we carried the lights over to the giant bushes in front of the house.

I giggled. "Probably not."

We worked in sync for a few silent moments, neither of us saying a word. The silence was companionable, comfortable. We didn't need words to be in utter contentment together. I lifted the lights up for Edward, who expertly wrapped them around the bushes. Years of Alice's militaristic lessons had trained him well.

At the end of another hour or so, Edward was finishing up on the last of the two dozen bushes. The house truly was huge, to be able to display that many. Even after years of being friends with the Cullens, I couldn't get over the sheer size of the place.

I was still holding the lights up patiently for Edward, although it was getting a little tedious. "Are you done yet?" I asked teasingly. He looked at me with a smile, his face illuminated in the dark by the shining light bulbs. I shivered.

"Let go of another foot," Edward instructed, indicating the string of lights in my hands. He was moving around to the back of the bush, and I followed so I could hand him the lights. Although the bulbs were shining, I still couldn't see the ground very well, and it made me nervous that I wasn't able to see where I was walking. I prepared myself for a fall with every step I took, but I suppose I could never really anticipate tripping over my own feet, because that was exactly what happened.

I crashed forward into the bush, then sort of bounced off in a way I couldn't begin to explain, right into Edward. Completely unsuspecting, he felt backwards with my impact, so that he landed on his back on the cold ground. I came to a halt on top of his chest, my face inches from his and our lips even closer.

I froze. I could feel his cold breath on my cheeks. My own breathing, so hectic a moment before, slowed, washing over his face. His eyes, which I could see were emerald green even in the darkness, were boring into mine. And his lips. They were so close to mine, I could almost feel them.

Would we even have to wait for Christmas Eve?

"Bella," he breathed. I shivered. Never dropping my gaze, he moved closer…closer…_so close_…

"Hey guys!" Alice shouted. "Are you done yet?" I could hear her skipping across the yard towards us.

I leapt off Edward hastily and was on my feet with astonishing speed in an attempt to avoid further embarrassment on account of Alice. Edward scrambled up just as quickly right behind me, although he was much more graceful about.

"Over here, Alice," I called back shakily. "Um, we're almost done. Here Edward." I flung the lights into his arms and he deftly swung them around the bush, finishing the job.

"Done," he told Alice when she reached us.

Alice looked between the two of us suspiciously. I fiddled with my hands and looked anywhere but into her eyes.

"What's going on over here?" Jasper asked curiously, walking up behind Alice. "I could swear I just heard something crashing."

Yeah," Alice said slowly. "So could I." She continued to scrutinize us until Emmett and Rosalie showed up a moment later.

"We're done. No mess-ups," Rose glanced at Emmett playfully, and he wrapped an arm around her.

Staring at Alice with puppy-dog eyes, he repeated. "Yeah, no mess-ups. Now can we –"

"I'll make the hot cocoa," Alice declared before he could finish. "Good work team." She grinned and grabbed Jasper's hand as she skipped off to kitchen. The rest of us followed more slowly. Edward and I weren't touching this time, and I didn't know if I regretted that or not. What _would_ have happened if Alice hadn't interrupted us?

Edward – Edward had seemed to want it as much as I had. So what if…what if he _did_ want me the way I pined for him? What if he needed me forever, the way I needed him? What if he loved me? I wrapped my arms around myself and walked with my eyes on my dirty old tennis shoes. I was picturing Edward, my beautiful, god-like, kind-hearted Edward, the boy who I had fallen in love with.

Maybe, just maybe, the Christmas Eve kiss wouldn't be so bad.

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**Author's Note - You guys are so lucky I got this chapter out today. I almost didn't, but I managed it. You'd better be happy. Lol. Anyway, like that teaser almost kiss? I figured I might as well have some fun and torture you a bit. Don't worry, you won't have to wait forever. Next chapter is the last one. You probably won't get as lucky in terms of a quick update, though. Depending on the HW situation, probably the earliest you can expect is Friday. I'll try for earlier, I promise. Just don't expect it. So...tootles for now!**

**Thanks you to all my reviewers! Fourteen last chapter!!! You guys are great!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer - I don't own Twilight**

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Under the Mistletoe

Chapter Six

"Where's Emmett?" I asked Edward anxiously as I entered the playroom at the hospital. The space had been transformed completely. Sofas and armchairs were revolved so that they all faced the farthest side of the room, where the Christmas tree shown brightly in all its brilliance. We'd dimmed the ceiling lights to allow the beauty of the glowing Christmas lights draping the window to be seen. The paper snowflakes had been sprinkled with glitter, and they sparkled…like magic, as one small child had put it. I agreed wholeheartedly.

Then there was one more massive armchair situated near the tree, underneath a red and white striped plastic arch – Santa's chair. If he ever showed up. He'd been due to arrive thirty minutes ago. The party began in another thirty minutes, and Emmett_ had_ to be here.

"Don't worry, I just called Rosalie," Edward assured me as he set down a tray of cookies on the refreshment table. "She's putting the finishing touches on Emmett, so they should be here soon." We could never have trusted Emmett to get himself ready, so we were relying on Rosalie to get the job done.

"Fine," I sighed in relief. "Those kids are dying to get into this room. Don't open the door, whatever you do." I chuckled. I'd had to nudge a few children out of the way and then squeeze through the tiny opening I'd made to get in.

"We might have to start this thing as soon as Emmett gets here," Edward agreed. "They're all going a little crazy."

"They _have_ been waiting for this for weeks," I pointed out. Christmas Eve was finally here, and although I was eager to witness the children's delight when they met 'Santa' and received their presents, I was also nervous. Butterflies raged in my stomach whenever I thought of Mandy and the kiss, and I'd felt nauseous for the hours.

Edward noticed. "Are you alright?" he asked anxiously as I flopped down in one of the chairs. "You look a little pale." He came to crouch by me and put a hand to my forehead. "You feel fine, so you can't have a fever." He smiled tenderly. "Don't get sick on me, Bella," he teased. "I can't handle all those kids on my own! Emmett doesn't count, you know.

I giggled, trying to ignore the close proximity. The electricity had gotten worse since the incident in the Cullen's front yard a week ago. Neither of us ever mentioned it, but I noticed the distance Edward had kept carefully between us all week. This was probably the closest we'd been for days.

"Edward-" I began, but then the door swung open to reveal Rosalie. I could make out a mob of eager faces pressing in around her, but she gently pushed them back and managed to get in and close the door before any little people could slip around her.

"It's like madhouse out there," she commented. She stopped when she saw Edward bent over me. I blushed. "Was I interrupting something?" she asked cautiously.

Edward righted himself hastily. "No. Bella…just looked a little pale."

Rose eyed me. "Bella always looks pale." It was true. But I knew what Edward was talking about. I hadn't been myself all day, and I knew exactly why, even if Edward didn't.

"Where's Emmett?" I asked.

"Hiding downstairs," Rose told me. "He wasn't supposed to come up yet, right?"

"Right." I nodded in relief. Emmett would be arriving after we allowed the children and their families entry. After all, we needed to give 'Santa' time to get here in his sleigh.

"Now everyone is where they're supposed to be," I sighed, closing my eyes as another wave of nausea washed over me. I pressed my aching head to the back of the chair and smiled slightly. "Well, except the kids who have their noses pressed up to the door."

Edward chuckled, but I knew him well enough to hear the worry in the sound. I supposed my position on the chair wasn't very reassuring, because when I opened my eyes again he was watching me anxiously. "Maybe you should go home," he suggested cautiously. He was so obviously worried, but he knew how much I wanted to be here tonight. Especially for Mandy…

"I'm fine," I sighed, forcing myself to stand and ignore my throbbing headache. "What else needs to be done?" I asked, looking around the room for anything to occupy my hands and keep my mind off of that kiss.

"Um, calm a mob of Christmas high kids?" Rosalie joked as the noise coming from the laughter and excited chatter outside the door abruptly escalated.

"Ok, how about I assign that job to you?" I teased back, feeling a little better now that I wasn't all alone with Edward. I supposed I was being a little melodramatic. Rosalie stuck her tongue out at me.

The door opened again, and this time Carlisle joined us. "Are you ready in here?" he asked Edward and me, smiling at Rose in greeting. "Most of the parents have arrived, and it's getting harder to control these children." The affectionate smile on his face softened his words. I knew Carlisle thought of them all as his own children, and I was grateful that Mandy was in his care – no better doctor could have been chosen to treat the sick little girl.

Edward smiled. "Yeah, we're just about ready, aren't we Bella?"

I nodded. "We're all set," I agreed.

"Alright, I'll go and announce the good news. Be prepared for some pretty enthusiastic kids. We've heard about nothing else all week." He smiled and turned to go, but, his hand on the doorknob, he looked back at us once more. "I can't thank you all enough for doing this," he said solemnly. "It's very mature of you, and very kind. You can't begin to imagine how much it means to us, to the children and the staff."

Edward smiled at his father and I nodded. "There's nothing else we'd rather be doing Carlisle, really," I assured him, my heart surging with the knowledge that I was able to help in this way. I smiled at Edward as we shared in the moment. I could feel Carlisle's knowing eyes on us before he left.

"Ready?" Rose smirked at us.

"You're helping too," Edward reminded her.

"No, actually, I'm just here for the show. Have fun." She plopped down in a chair in the back of the room with a devious smile on her face. Before I could protest, a mob of children with way too much pent up excitement poured through the door, laughing and grinning like crazy. I forgot to be angry. They looked so happy, and all the time and work we'd put into this was automatically worth it.

Edward grinned at me and tugged me with him to the other side of the room, where the Christmas tree was erected proudly in the corner, its lights twinkling. We stood next to it and waited for everyone to squeeze inside, including the parents and siblings of the hospital kids. The noise hadn't died down – in fact it had only gotten worse now that there were so many people in the small room. Edward had to call loudly to get everyone's attention, but eventually the volume was reduced to the point where we could be heard. Edward and I both knew that we would never get all the kids to settle down completely, so we were taking what we could get.

Edward spoke first, greeting the parents and thanking them for coming, commenting on how wonderful the kids were, and how much work they put in to decorating the playroom. We had decided to keep it short, knowing how impatient the children were for Santa. As Edward's speech came to an end, many of them were staring at us dully, bored. Some of them were pleading with their eyes, and I couldn't help but smile at their adorable expressions.

"Alright," I began when Edward was done. "Now for the moment you've all been waiting for. All the way from the North Pole, making a very special trip to our very own Forks to see all of you in person, Santa Claus!" I waved my hand dramatically in the direction the door. Every single one of the children had their head turned expectantly. I caught sight of Mandy. Even her cheeks were a bit flushed, and she looked happier than I had seen her in ages. She wasn't looking for Santa Claus; she was watching Edward and me. When I caught her eyes, she smiled, like we were sharing a secret.

I realized we were. _Mistletoe…_

Then the door was thrown open, and a chubby old man in a red suit and fluffy white beard came bumbling in. Even under the beard, I could make out the wide grin on his face. Oh, Emmett. He sauntered in, trying his best to maintain an upright position while balancing at least half a dozen concealed pillows tucked under his belt, and hauling a huge bag on his back. Edward and I shared an amused look while Emmett came forward and tried to fit himself in the chair near us.

The kids' uproarious cheers and greetings were deafening. I felt a little sorry for the parents, who were plugging up their ears with their hands. I raised my hand for silence but was blatantly ignored. I turned to Emmett.

"Alright, Santa, calm them down already!" I strained to be heard over the noise.

He was still grinning. "Naw, I rather like all this attention."

"Ugh!" I groaned.

Finally, Emmett decided to appease me – due in large part to Rosalie's glare from the back of the room – and lifted his hand. Automatically, every child froze, and the excited cries came to an abrupt halt.

"Ahem," Emmett began, over exaggerating the deep voice. I relaxed a little. Although he would joke around with us, Emmett had his serious moments – he knew how important this was for the children, and he would play his part perfectly.

"Merry Christmas!" Emmett continued, beaming at his audience, fairly eating up all the attention. He carried on to engage the children in a rather long conversation that I only half-listened to. The kids obviously adored it. They stared up at 'Santa', positively entranced, giggling and raising their eager little hands to speak out at the right moments.

Finally, a large canvas bag was pulled from behind Emmett's chair.

"Presents!" Almost every child in the room cried out, most of them bouncing up and down in an attempt to contain the excitement.

"That's right!" Emmett boomed. "Now, I hope you've all been good this year," he warned. More little voices shouted the affirmative. Emmett chuckled heartily and reached into his bag, from which he extracted a long box wrapped in sparkling red paper. "Hmm, let's see…" He inspected the tag on the box, and then called out, "Tyler!"

"That's me!" Tyler exclaimed, leaping from his place on the floor. He bounded up to 'Santa' and flung himself into his lap. "I'm Tyler!" he declared proudly.

Emmett smiled at him with a chuckle. "I know. Here you are Tyler, how about you open that up right here?"

"Alright!" Tyler was quick to agree, and he tore through the paper without hesitation. When the track was finally revealed, his eyes widened in awe, and he soundlessly allowed the last bit of wrapping paper to float to the ground. "Wow," he breathed. He admired his present for a moment, stroking a loving hand over it. Then he looked up at Emmett. "Thanks Santa! This is just what I wanted forever!" He squeezed his skinny arms around Emmett's neck in what was probably the tightest embrace he could give. "This is awesome!" Tyler grabbed the track and joined his friends on the floor again. They crowded around eagerly to inspect the toy. I smiled at them, my throat tight. Edward squeezed my arm.

"You're welcome Tyler," Emmett said, and pulled out another gift. "Emily!" he called.

And so the process continued for the better part of an hour. I never tired of watching the grins on their faces as each child received what they had been dreaming of for months. When every kid finally had a present in hand, not a single face was disappointed. I was grinning as widely as Emmett as I made my way through the crowd of happy children, Edward by my side. There was nothing that could ruin the moment.

And then I remembered.

"Mandy!" I cried, whirling on Edward.

His eyes widened in immediate understanding and he whisked around, searching frantically for her with his eyes. Both our desperate gazes turned up nothing. I knew that she was probably physically safe, wandering the halls somewhere. The nurses kept sharp tools out of reach of the children, so there was little to worry about there. But…emotionally? Mandy was torn apart as it was. What would our rejection do to her? I couldn't bear to picture her face, broken and weary, as she realized that she wasn't going to get the only thing she truly wanted.

"Where is she?" I cried as the panic began to overwhelm me. "Edward!" I grabbed his arm. He took my hand.

"We'll find her!" he shouted above the noises of celebration. "Wait outside, I'll tell Rosalie and Emmett to keep an eye on things." Emmett had left after the toys were all distributed, and returned soon after removing his costume.

I nodded, my eyes wet, and hurried from the room. A few minutes later Edward joined me. We spent the next twenty minutes running up and down the Children's Ward, splitting up to search every room, and meeting up again empty-handedly. We arrived back at the playroom in despair, with nothing to show for our efforts. I was becoming increasingly nervous. I originally figured that Mandy was in her room, or somewhere in the halls, but now it seemed that she wasn't in the Children's Ward at all.

"Where's your dad?" I asked Edward. Carlisle might have some idea of where Mandy had gotten to.

He flicked his sleeve up to get a look at his watch. "His shift ended ten minutes ago. He should be inside." Edward indicated the playroom. I lunged for the door handle, but paused before twisting it.

"Edward," I said, taking a deep breath. "There's something you should know." I turned to face him, but I couldn't meet his eyes.

He frowned. "What's the matter, Bella?" he asked worriedly.

"Edward," I spoke quickly, before I could lose my nerve. "The reason Mandy ran off…it's because she wanted a kiss." I stared down at my shoes and fiddled with my sleeves. "I mean, she wanted _us_ to-"

Before I could finish, the door was flung open to reveal Alice. "There you guys are!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been? Never mind." She looked back inside the room. "Found them!" she called.

I was flushed and embarrassed that my confession had been interrupted. I was worried that Edward might surmise incorrectly about what I had nearly told him, but his face was blank and I couldn't tell what was on his mind – not that I could ever guess what he was thinking.

"Come on," Alice ushered us through the door impatiently, tugging on my hand to get me to move faster. I couldn't begin to imagine what she was so eager for.

"When'd you get here?" I demanded, only partly distracted from the despair of Mandy's disappearance.

Alice shrugged. "Ten minutes ago, or something like that. And you weren't here when I arrived!" she accused.

"So?" Edward asked irritably. "We _lost Mandy_."

Alice snorted – delicately, to be sure. "No one lost Mandy," she informed us with a roll of her eyes. "I just borrowed her for a minute." She nodded towards the Christmas tree. Mandy hovered in front of it, looking expectantly towards the door.

When she spotted us, she…she _smiled. _I stopped, shocked._ My_ Mandy, the sad, lost little girl who I had fretted over for weeks, was positively _glowing._ She beamed at us, her eyes alight with joy, and even from across the room I could see the sparkles in her braided hair – likely Alice's doing. They added to the entire effect. I smiled through the wet salt droplets that stung my eyes.

"She looks so happy," I whispered.

Alice touched my arm lightly. "You know why, don't you?"

I glanced at her, confused. Edward and I hadn't kissed, so why would Mandy be grinning like that? I assumed _Alice_ must have done something to get her to look so cheerful…but if it was somehow my doing…?

"What do I know, Alice?" I asked softly, puzzled.

"Gosh Bella, you can be so _dense_ sometimes," Alice grumbled. She took my hand and Edward's, and pulled us with her to where Mandy was waiting. We were a few feet away when the girl limped into my arms – she was down to a walking cast now. I lifted her up with a grunt and squeezed her tightly.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," I whispered into her ear. Over her shoulder, I caught Edward watching us tenderly.

Mandy wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder. "Merry Christmas," she sighed contently. I cast a doubtful look at Alice, unsure of what to make of this behavior, so out of character for Mandy. Alice only shrugged with a secretive smile.

Mandy wriggled in my arms and I set her down. She reached out for Edward, who knelt to embrace her. He kissed her nose playfully and she giggled. My heart clenched at the sweet image they made. I exchanged a look with Edward, but he appeared as confused as I was.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," Alice muttered, squeezing Mandy's shoulder as she looked out at the sea of people inhabiting the party. The celebration was fading, replaced by the sleepy faces of multiple children, and the adults who were gently preparing to go home or to bed. "Excuse me," she called loudly over the lulling noise. "I'd like to have everyone's attention." After a few more summons on Alice's part, the crowd had turned their full attention on our little foursome.

Alice grinned. "Ok, well, first I'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight. It's wonderful being able to give this to all the children at the hospital." She winked at Mandy, and the little girl blushed as the crowd turned its attention to her for a quick moment.

"But," Alice continued. "I'd also like to remind you that none of it would be possible without the astounding assistance of two teenage Forks residents, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan." She faced us and began clapping. Every person in the room immediately followed her lead. I blushed and stared at Edward to avoid meeting the gazes of anyone in the crowd, and his eyes laughed at my self-consciousness.

I ignored the remainder of Alice's speech, watching Mandy instead. I didn't understand what had constituted such a dramatic change in her behavior. She _never_ smiled like that. She never looked _happy_ – not the way she did now. I scrutinized her face, trying to determine the reason behind this new Mandy that I didn't recognize.

I felt something touch my arm gently, and I glanced up.

"Alice is finished," Edward told me. He cocked an eyebrow. "Were you even listening?" he asked teasingly. I shrugged sheepishly, and looked around the room to see various families preparing to leave.

I took Edward's hand. "We should say goodbye to everyone." He nodded and followed me. Mandy trailed behind us. We made our rounds, accepting the waves of gratitude thrown at us. Despite their exhausted states, many of the kids flung themselves into our arms, praising our efforts to give them the 'Best Christmas Ever!'. I got a little teary-eyed, witnessing their joy.

But at last, everyone who was going home had left, and anyone staying at the hospital was in bed – except for Mandy. She helped us tidy up the room, picking up wrapping paper and the paper cups and plates left lying around. All the while she maintained her cheery state, her brown eyes bright and her cheeks flushed. I didn't think I'd ever seen so much color in her face. I shared in her newfound happiness, but still wondered at the cause. Alice avoided me during the clean-up, so I wasn't able to pull it out of her. I was slightly vexed at the vague answers she gave me when I did finally manage to quietly ask her what was going on.

When the place looked presentable again, Mandy turned immediately to Edward and I. "I want to show you something!" she declared, beaming. She took our hands. "Please?" She looked up into our faces, her eyes wide and hopeful, and of course I couldn't deny her.

I smiled. "Alright," I allowed.

Edward knelt beside her and tweaked her nose. "But then _someone_ has to go to bed, or Santa won't come." She giggled and nodded obediently as Edward got back on his feet.

"Hey, Santa already came!" Emmett reminded us from across the room.

Mandy laughed and looked over at him. "Silly, Emmett. That was _you_!"

I blinked in surprise, but Emmett was quicker. "No it wasn't!" he defended himself.

"Yes, it was," Mandy told him, unperturbed. "But don't worry. The real Santa will come tonight. Come on, Edward." She grabbed him and tugged him towards the door. I trailed behind with a smile. We left to sound of Emmett's loud protests and Rosalie scolding him for behaving like a child.

"So where are we going?" I asked curiously as we followed Mandy down the hallway.

"You'll see," she said confidently without turning. Edward shrugged at me with his crooked smile. I lifted the corners of my mouth weakly in return.

We ended up back at the playroom, after fully circling the Children's Ward. Mandy looked up at us with a smile.

Edward looked as confused as I was. "What are you up to, Mandy?" he asked her playfully, although I could easily pick out the genuine puzzlement in his words. Mandy smiled shyly and opened the door. She didn't enter, but she held the door open, like she wanted _us_ to go in.

I stepped forward hesitantly. Mandy waited, her face patient. I stopped in the doorway, and looked back at Edward, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged, and followed.

Once we were through, Mandy whispered, "Look up." Then she pushed the door shut on us gently.

I didn't do as she asked, not at first. I looked around the room, but it was empty. "Alice?" I called softly, tentatively, not putting it past her to be hiding behind a sofa or the Christmas tree.

"She's not here," I heard Edward breathe. My eyes flashed open to see him still underneath the doorway. He was gazing upwards, the expression in his eyes unfathomable.

And there, hanging delicately just inside the doorway, was a bout of mistletoe.

Although Edward never removed his gaze from the leaves, he must have heard my sharp intake of breath as I caught sight of them. Several factors slowly clicked into place for me. Alice…that day she'd gone off with Jasper and wouldn't tell us why…and she had 'borrowed' Mandy… and then, Mandy's eager face…and Alice's insistence…and –

"Bella." His voice was a barely coherent, softer than a whisper. Hypnotized by the husky sound, I went to him unsteadily, never taking my eyes off his entrancing face. I stumbled the last few steps, and he grasped me tightly in his arms before I could fall. Always there to catch me.

Then the absurdity of our current situation hit me, and I realized that Edward knew nothing of Mandy's wish. I had no idea what he would possibly make of the mistletoe above our heads, and I was worried that he might think it my doing.

He was still holding me to him, and I had a hard time concentrating with his emerald eyes penetrating me the way they were, but these words were important, and I had to let him know. I didn't want to humiliate him any longer than necessary.

"Oh Edward!" I whispered. "I'm _so sorry_ – I should have told you…Mandy…oh, she wanted us to…she wanted…" But his lips were close again, the way they'd been that night in the Cullen's front yard. Slowly, painstakingly slowly, we moved closer. I tried to think coherently, tried so hard to get the words out. "…she wanted…_oh_…"

His soft lips brushed mine in a chaste kiss, cutting the words off gently. I inhaled sharply, taken aback, and he started to pull away. I touched his cheek and stared into his eyes. _No. Don't go._ He gazed back from beneath long lashes, and I stood on my toes to press our lips together once more.

The reasons vanished. Mandy's wish vanished. The mistletoe hung innocently above us vanished. The pent up frustration of the last few weeks…gone. All that existed was Edward, Edward with his arms wrapped around me, pressing me to him, and my arms around his neck, and my hands curled in his soft hair. I had no idea what I was doing, but I could feel, taste, smell him all around me, and it was enough to offset whatever inexperience I had.

Because I was with Edward, _my_ Edward, my soul mate, my forever. And so it didn't matter that I was hesitant as first our lips met, or that I was reluctant when his tongue pressed against my lips, begging entry. He understood. Edward always understood.

It was a reluctant but unanimous choice between to us to pull away. The first, thoughtless words out of my mouth were, "I've never been kissed before." I blushed when I realized what I had said.

He chuckled and pulled my against his chest, kissing the top of my head. "Silly Bella," he murmured into my hair. I laughed with him, in relief and elation. We were silent for several moments, reveling in the unity between us that had finally come to pass.

"I suppose that's why I love you," Edward whispered in my ear at last. I shivered and my heart thumped unsteadily as I realized what he had said. He loved me. _He loved me_.

"Edward," I murmured, pulling back so that I could look into his eyes. Oh Edward. "I love you too," I croaked, and realized I was crying. I laughed through the tears. "I'm being completely melodramatic, aren't I?"

Edward chuckled and kissed away the tears on my face. His lips reached mine and brushed against them for the third time. "Oh, my Bella," he whispered. "You are utterly absurd."

Then the door was suddenly flung open, and I jumped, immediately trying to disentangle myself from Edward's arms. I failed miserably, due in large part to the fact that he refused to let me go. He kissed my forward and hugged me closer, ignoring whoever was at the door. Eventually, my struggles subsided.

I heard a giggle and looked up. Mandy was smiling in utter delight, her eyes shining impossibly brighter than before. I forgot my extreme embarrassment as I looked upon her happiness. I had never seen her so elated in all the time I had known her. Who knew it would take a kiss to get her to look like that? Who knew that it would take a kiss for Edward and I to realize how desperately in love we were? If I'd known, I would have given in and gotten it over with long ago.

Alice joined Mandy at the door, looking incredibly smug. I ignored the roll of her eyes and let myself relax in Edward's arms, my cheek rested against his shoulder. I wasn't sure that anyone could surpass the complete contentment and love I felt in that one moment.

Then Carlisle appeared behind Alice. I jumped guiltily while he watched in amusement as, this time, Edward let me leave his embrace. Mandy turned and beamed at Carlisle. Alice just laughed. I could see Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper outside in the hall, watching us. Realizing our audience, I blushed. Edward squeezed my hand and glared at his sister.

"What?" Alice giggled. "You two fools would_ never_ have admitted it on your own. Nice work Mandy." She high-fived the little girl. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't really be mad at my friend.

"Ahem." Carlisle got our attention quietly. His face was solemn and I immediately became worried. Was something wrong? I hated the idea that anything could ruin this moment.

But Mandy was still beaming, and she grabbed my hand. "I'm gonna live with you!" she exclaimed happily. I frowned at her statement, confused, and her face fell at my lack of response. I looked up at Carlisle for assistance.

He smiled at me. "Esme and I are adopting Mandy," he informed me softly.

I was shocked. My gaze flashed from Mandy to Carlisle to Edward, then back to Carlisle, waiting for the punch line. But Mandy was still grinning, and Carlisle had a satisfied glint in his eye. The only one who seemed as surprised as I, was Edward. He recovered more quickly than I, though. He swept Mandy up in his arms and clutched her to him. She giggled happily and squeezed back.

"When?" I asked Carlisle, still in shock. I had been depressed for weeks, contemplating what could possibly be done to fix Mandy's predicament. For the problem to be solved so…_simply_…it took me a few moments to process.

"The final details were taken care of tonight, actually. It was a secret between Esme and I until just now." He glared at Alice affectionately. "Someone found the papers in my coat pocket."

Alice held her hands up, defending her innocence. "I was _surprised!_ And I didn't know Mandy had left Bella and Edward."

"Wait. You just found out now?" I asked Mandy.

"Yep!" she exclaimed. Still curled in Edward's arms, she rested her cheek against his shoulder. He pressed a kiss into her hair and smiled at me. My insides melted all over again.

"I got the best Christmas presents ever!" Mandy added, grinning at me smugly. I remembered her little stunt from just moments before.

"You!" I jabbed my finger playfully at her. She wriggled away from me with a guilty giggle.

Edward leaned forward to kiss me, completely ignoring the titters from our audience. My eyes fluttered close. "I would be thanking her, if I were you," he murmured. I allowed a small smile at his words. It was true, after all.

"Thank you, Mandy," I whispered. "Thank you _very_ much."

She reached out to touch my face. "You're welcome," she said softly. We smiled at each other, and Edward wrapped his free arm around me. And, at last, everything was _right_.

……….

I awoke slowly in a bed that was not my own. Incoherently, I opened my eyes and tried to make sense of my surroundings. I felt a familiar pair of arms wrapped tightly around me, and I looked up into Edward's green eyes.

He smiled tenderly. "Marry Christmas," he whispered in my ear. I shivered as his breath tickled my skin. It didn't help my thought process as I tried to recall the events of the previous night. The kiss was the first thing that came to mind, and I discovered with delighted surprise that I wasn't embarrassed by the memory. Instead, it made me feel all the more content and loved as I lay curled in Edward's arms.

"Mmm," I croaked groggily, pressing my face into his chest. "Merry Christmas." I remembered a little more now. We'd arrived home late, and I called Charlie to tell him I'd be staying at the Cullen's for the night. He would be coming over for Christmas dinner later, but for now, Edward and I had a few peaceful moments alone. I knew it wouldn't last, and I relished it as I scrunched myself impossibly closer to him. Any second and a certain Alice Cullen would happily invade the room, declaring that she'd awaited this day forever and we were _not_ sleeping in.

"How much time do we have?" I asked reluctantly.

He understood instantly. "I'd give it a few minutes. I heard her go into the bathroom just now. Of course, I don't know what Mandy's rules are when it comes to interrupting sleep on Christmas morning. Who knows when she'll come barging in." He chuckled.

I smiled. "I can't believe she's really ours now." Well, not _mine_ technically, but I counted as a Cullen in their minds, so…yes, Mandy was my new sister.

"Yes," Edward agreed quietly. He didn't elaborate, and I sensed that he was thinking about something else. He had a thoughtful look in his eyes that I knew well.

"What is it?" I asked, touching his face.

"I'd like to give you your Christmas gift now, if you don't mind," he said with a shrug.

I frowned. "Didn't I tell you not to get me anything?" I asked irritably.

Edward smiled unashamedly. "How many years will it take for you to understand that there will never be a Christmas where I won't get you anything?" He paused. "Or birthday, or Valentine's Day."

An image of a rose bouquet showing up mysteriously at my door flashed through my mind. "That was _you_?" I gasped.

He laughed and kissed me soundly. "I love you. Now, are you going to keep changing the subject, or just open the present?" I pouted. "I promise you'll love it," Edward coaxed me.

I sighed. "Fine." The look on his face at my submission was worth it. He reached over his shoulder for something on his nightstand and placed a tiny box wrapped in shiny blue paper in my hand. I was surprised.

"What, no book?" I asked with a smirk.

He chuckled. "Just open it, you silly girl." And he kissed me again.

"Will you ever get tired of kissing me?" I wondered.

"I rather doubt it," he said confidently. But my attempt at distraction didn't last long. "Just open it," he ordered. I sighed and resigned myself to my fate. I tore the paper off slowly, not wanting to damage the pretty blue wrapping. I knew why he had chosen the color – he loved the way it looked on me.

When the box was finally released from its confines of wrapping paper, I inspected it curiously. It was obviously a jewelry box, which was surprising. Edward never bought me jewelry. Hesitantly I opened the box, and found myself peering down at the golden dove I'd seen in the store with Alice.

"How did you know?" I breathed.

He seemed confused. "What do you mean?"

"I saw this when I went shopping with Alice…" I trailed off. Oh. Alice. He grinned, following my line of thought.

I frowned. "That girl is too devious for her own good. First the mistletoe, now this."

"Do you like it?" Edward asked.

"I love it," I responded in a whisper, looking into his eyes.

He smiled crookedly. "Then I think she is perfectly devious." He pulled me to a sitting position and took the necklace from my hands to gently put it around my neck. He clicked the clasp shut and quickly twisted me around to face him again. He was moving fast and I was confused.

"What?"

"This," he said huskily, and leaned down to press his lips to mine in a slow, serious kiss. I clasped my arms around his neck and clutched myself to him. Suddenly, it didn't matter how devious and clever and troublesome Alice was – and Mandy too, now that I thought about it. Because I would always be grateful to them for what they had given us.

When Edward pulled back, I protested automatically, already missing the warmth of his soft lips on mine. He just smirked and glanced upwards. I followed his gaze.

We were kissing under the mistletoe.

* * *

**Author's Note - I'm so sorry about not getting this up on Friday! I feel terrible, but it was because there was a huge blizzard all Friday to Sunday, and storms always mess up our computers. The internet finally started working today though, thank goodness. I hope the extra long chapter makes it up to you (eleven pages!). **

**Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed. I really appreciate it. I just looked today and _fifty-six_ people have this on alert! I was very surprised, and, needless to say, very happy! :D Thank you everyone! If you want to, please check out my other story, Someday You'll Know, and my oneshots. **

**Also...I have a surprise that I will possibly be posting later tonight. You'll love it if you loved this story. So look out for that. :D**


	7. Author's Note READ

Thank you for all your wonderful reviews!! I was at my sister's Christmas concert, and I came home to a bunch of reviews already! I'm so glad you all loved my story so much. I truly appreciate it. Thanks a billion! Now for the surprise-

No I'm not writing a sequel. I was actually planning to drop the Christmas short story thing altogether, for this year anyway. Once is enough right? _Right?_

Wrong! The plot bunnies wouldn't leave me alone, and I thought of another brilliant idea for a Christmas short story! I just posted the first chapter, and I would love it if you checked it out. It's a mix of a lot of fluff and a lot of angst (not sure how that worked out lol). It probably won't be finished in time for Christmas, but it won't take too long to finish. Here's the summary:

Calls for Christmas-Bella and Edward are a divorced couple. Still tentative friends, they call each other every year on Christmas Eve and reminisce about the days when they were in love. How long will it take for them to realize that they can't live without each other? A Christmas Short Story AU/AH/EXB

Once again, this is NOT a sequel to Under the Mistletoe!


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